liturgy
Over the years, I have been blessed to serve the Church of England in various parishes and dioceses — from starting out as a Sunday School Superintendent and PCC/Standing Committee member to progressing now to working as an Authorised Lay Minister (Preaching and Worship/Liturgy) for St Mary the Virgin Church in Felpham, West Sussex.
I delight in its parish system and in its liturgy.
A robust theological background, with a BA and MA in theology, and PhD in Biblical studies, with academic publishing in biblical studies, liturgy and missiology.
I am fortunate to be part of a thriving parish church, with a strong tradition of music and liturgy and, above all, a real sense of community.
It has a commitment to place, and a mission towards the whole population, expressed in the liturgy which is its public duty, in the cure of souls which parish priests share with the bishop, and in the building which should be a place of sanctuary for all.
Liturgy and Sacraments I bring Cathedral expertise in liturgy to debates around marriage and holy communion
- Church music and liturgy
I have been actively involved with the liturgy planning for this for over 20 years- both for adults and children.
Where else could I bring Dragons and virtuous virgins into a debate on liturgy?
I have a good background in liturgy, am a member of our choir and led all our services online during the various COVID lockdowns and have frequently led services when we have had spur-of-the-moment problems with clergy for our services.
Syond debates a wide range of matters, from liturgy and church flowers to the situation of Palestinian Christians.
Since I arrived in Peterborough diocese I have been privileged to support parishes, deaneries and individuals as Bishop’s Adviser for Liturgy and Worship; assisting with cover in parishes of varying churchmanship across the diocese from Brackley to Rutland has given me additional insight into the everyday challenges and joys of ministry in all sorts of contexts.
Pastoral: I have begun conversations with Synod staff about updating our liturgy so that it keeps pace with the pastoral needs of our communities as healthcare changes, particularly with an increase in funerals for pre-term babies.
Since 2022, I’ve been an Honorary Fellow of the Department for Theology and Religion at Durham University, and over a number of years I have taught for Lindisfarne College of Theology, mainly Anglicanism, and Liturgy and Worship.
the liturgy as protection.
• Rich, Anglican Liturgy & Safe Havens
My studies helped me fall in love with the Anglican tradition more, I realised the rich depths of the history of our churches, cathedrals, liturgy, and parish structure.
I have a particular interest in the intersection of politics and faith, and a deep love of liturgy, and recognise the importance of the local parish for Christian witness throughout the country.
General Synod’s main roles are approving liturgy & doctrine changes, setting budgets and maintaining good relations with other churches.
His loving direction is sometimes a severe mercy but never to be scorned. “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Liturgy & doctrine The dominating issue is still a 7 year struggle to change doctrine in the area of who can marry who.
It is built on centuries of rich tradition which have produced beautiful liturgy and a broad theology.
• Spoke in a wide range of General Synod debates, from liturgy to mission and from parish matters
I am also a Reader, and hold a Masters degree in Christian Liturgy.
Finally, I would like to use my experience to be involved in any future discussion of church music, worship and liturgy.
Morgan; on baptism left finance for disaster relief with Medair; policy work on unemployment in Whitehall; trained at Cuddesdon; curacy at St Leonard's Streatham; Bishop's Chaplain; now Vicar of Holy Trinity Roehampton, the most economically deprived, and by far the most interesting parish in the borough; Hon Canon of Southwark, Area Dean, Chair of the Bishop’s Advisory Group on Liturgy, Associate Tutor at St Augustine's College of Theology.
Over the years, in all the varied experiences that make up our common lives, I have continued to be nurtured and nourished by the liturgy and rhythms of the Church’s regular services; it now feels a real privilege to pass on in a small way some of that love and nourishment to those who come to me for spiritual direction.
As a musician and former choral scholar , I have a particular love for the riches of Anglican liturgy, music and history .
We work on precise liturgy and standards of service and protecting traditions and heritage values, to maintain consistency and comfort.
Instead we are excluding the young, the LGBTQ+, the neurodivergent, the minorities, with our fanciful words and old-fashioned liturgy that alienates newcomers and pampers the ego of the old-timers.
In Indonesia I worked for CMS as a consultant to the Indonesian- speaking Anglican Church, where I shared responsibility for national strategy including translation of Anglican liturgy into Indonesian.
At the same time, I love and value our parish churches, Anglican heritage, worship, liturgy, buildings, traditions and the generations of faithful people who have gone before us.
I am passionate about people, music, faith, church, community and liturgy – not necessarily in that order!
Commission, together with legal advice to the House of Bishops, has emphasised that liturgy, discipline and unity are bound up with doctrine that is authorised by the whole Church, not merely narrowly.
Depth Over Dilution My own formation crossed traditions: a liturgy-valuing Presbyterian background, then a low-church Anglican parish, then placements in Anglo-Catholic parishes and
traditional liturgy particularly connect with me; I am therefore a member of the Prayer Book Society and Forward in Faith.
Church Buildings Council (2026–present): As a result of my election by fellow members of General Synod, I enjoy contributing to thoughtful advice and balanced consideration of mission, heritage, sustainability, and liturgy.
My faith is shaped by sacrament, liturgy and the rhythm of the Church's year.
General Synod must attend to doctrine, liturgy, legislation and the governance of the Church.
During that time, I studied towards a BA in Theology and an MA in Pastoral Liturgy, whilst teaching RE in secondary school.
I am a liberal catholic because I believe in the Eucharist and the sacraments, ordered ministry, serious theology, good liturgy and music, and the importance of our parish churches.
Word and Sacrament I believe in a worshipping life that is deeply rooted in the Eucharist, the life of prayer, liturgy and worship.
I'm a member of Church Action on Poverty's worship and theology collective and have written liturgy for their resources.
Alongside that I regularly visit the orthodox monastery of St John the Baptist in Essex where I am nourished and sustained by the rhythm, liturgy and Jesus Prayer.
Although I have had close ties to a wide range of different denominations and came to Anglicanism later in life, I chose to settle in the Church of England because of its breadth, history and liturgy.
I travel all over the country and beyond to promote the continued use of the Church of England’s normative and permanently authorised liturgy which, I believe, has an important part to play in mission, personal discipleship, and building community.
I have run training on fresh expressions and mission for Lay Readers and Spiritual Directors as well as providing workshops and being a keynote speaker nationally on creative liturgy and alternative worship.
A liturgy grounded in tradition alongside modernity
I have experienced church at home and abroad, rural and inner-city, from high church with traditional liturgy and worship, through to more free-form evangelical churches with modern worship bands.
I am an Anglican by conviction, not necessity and I feel our structures, doctrine, liturgy, prayer book and historic formularies to be not only an immense safeguard and strength, but also our godly heritage, passed down for us to treasure.
We, as the national church, must regain confidence in who we are, in our roots and their value, and look up to see the wonderful opportunity we have to use our amazing buildings, liturgy, prayer book and the occasional offices as counter-cultural magnets for the generations who have had no prior experience of them, and to whom they are new and profound.
Jeremiah wrote : ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ With that in mind at the heart of our faith, General Synod, the assembly of our Church, our national Church, exists to help create the culture and organisation within which we can exercise that faith, legislating, developing liturgy, debating the issues of the day and managing the Church’s finances.
I have been exposed to a rich variety of worship styles, liturgy and music, where all those diverse people are united through the one flesh, truth, way, and life of Jesus.
My ministry experience has left me well placed to appreciate the broad traditions of the church and I’ll bring this to the General Synod when discussing matters of doctrine, liturgy and church law.
In addition, the CofE is at its best when ordinary parishes and ordinary vicars like me remain rooted in our traditions of bible, liturgy, and service to all, confident in sharing our historic faith with generosity and respect towards those with whom we disagree.
• Music & Liturgy.
with church music and liturgy organisations (currently the Cambridge & Ely Church Music Group); and various church and chamber choirs.
I have also been greatly blessed, and nurtured, by every strand in the Church of England, and combine a devotion to Scripture with a love for the liturgy and the sacraments.
I have served on Diocesan Synod for much of my ministry, am Chair of the Diocesan Liturgy and Worship Group, and work across diocesan, civic and public life in my cathedral role.
I am interested in liturgy and especially the Book of Common Prayer, but also other liturgical traditions, both Anglican and ecumenical.
I love that our liturgy firmly and clearly points to Jesus.
Christian summer camps were a highlight of my adolescence and offered space to ask difficult questions, and Roman Catholic retreats as a young adult introduced me to the beauty of liturgy.
Whether through its liturgy, tradition, service or priestly ministry.
My parents were Methodist and Anglican but my relationship with Anglicanism was strengthened by worship at school and a growing appreciation of the liturgy and music.
• …have been formed by the liturgy of the Church of England throughout my adult
We all have personal preferences and mine tends towards structure and liturgy, but provided it is prepared and presented as well as it possibly can be, and is there to glorify God, I think we should be glad that there is so much choice and variety available.
The Lutherans gave me the liturgy and the doctrine that salvation is a gift.
The Great Value of our Places of Worship I believe that above and beyond ‘the regular Sunday congregation’ people value and are attracted to our places of worship for their tranquillity and beauty, their sense of history-in-community, the clear evidence of Christian purpose and mission emanating from them, their liturgy and their music.
One example of this (albeit in its early stages), has seen me getting in touch with the liturgical commission to look at accessible liturgy for Communion, in particular for children who are non-verbal, or who have significant barriers to understanding the language we might use in our services- and I have a meeting lined up with them, so watch this space!
In the fullness of my faith, I love the liturgy of our traditional services and equally love the freedom of a more evangelical stance.
In terms of churchmanship, I’ve grown up within the Anglo-Catholic tradition, and I continue to value its sacramental depth, its sense of beauty in worship, and its conviction that the liturgy forms the Christian life.
As a member of the national Disability Task Group I chair both the Accessible Liturgy and Learning Disability working groups and am a member of the Neurodiversity group.
And so I want to play my part in building up confidence in what the Church of England stands for – its gospel message, liturgy, welcome and witness.
It is also important to renew theological training to move away from more management-focused training to deeper study of scripture, the creeds, history and Anglican liturgy.
I enjoy both the traditional BCP liturgy as well as more contemporary expressions of worship.
Yet their perspectives are too often absent from Synod debates on mission, liturgy, safeguarding, clergy wellbeing, and the Church’s public voice.
In Southwark, I sit on the Diocesan Council of Trustees, the Board of Education, the Bishop’s Advisory Group on Liturgy, and am an Examining Chaplain.
I grew up in a suburban parish with a broadly Anglo-Catholic liturgy and an evangelical youth group.
Not everyone will want to use the BCP, but it is important that provision is made so that it is still regularly used in worship, so that others may continue to be surprised by joy in a liturgy that they never thought would bring them closer to God.
I am an accidental Anglican: I turned out to be allergic to the floor polish at my Baptist church, so started going somewhere new — and fell in love with the Anglican liturgy, its rootedness across time and place.
For myself, I would not wish to see ministry and liturgy conducted outside our approved doctrines.
Downhill skiing Sailing yachts and dinghies Hill and coastal walking The weekly 5km Park Run (PB 27:25) Combe Down church involvement: Leading and preaching at Holy Trinity Combe Down – the Benefice’s main church with its ‘Word and Spirit’ flavour. in the Benefice using the CofE Liturgy in the two village churches of Southstoke and Monkton Combe.
I have long loved many aspects of the Anglican Church – the ancient liturgy, the space for reflection and contemplation – and in joining one have found even more to love.
The Church of England has extraordinary strengths: faithful parishes, dedicated clergy and lay people, beautiful liturgy, and a unique calling to every community across our nation.
wider church and value Church history & liturgy.
• Speeches on liturgy, theology and national net zero work
After my love of Jesus Christ, my two passions within the church are young people and global mission (with a side helping of liturgy and choral music!).
I love the patterns, rhythms, and beauty of traditional liturgy and choral music and the space and richness that they provide for personal and corporate worship.
I am the author of the recent book Sacramental Trans Feminism: Ritualism, Liberation and Trans Rites, published by SCM Press, and I am also interested in the overlaps between liturgy and performance.
As a lad from a council estate, liturgy and the formality of Anglican worship initially felt as though they belonged to people above my social position.
I believe that General Synod should help our church to become more representative of our times and communities through its work on doctrine, liturgy, training, and ecumenism, and I would like to play some part in helping to achieve this.
Gender and Sexuality In the last quinquennium, we introduced authorised liturgy to celebrate same-sex relationships within existing services, but I believe that most members want us to go further.
at eighty-one, my health is very good – helped by a weekly session with a personal trainer As a linguist and an editor, I am very interested in the use of words, which leads to a particular interest in liturgy.
If I am re-elected, I hope to put forward a Private Member’s Motion with the purpose of correcting something that has been wrong with the Church of England’s liturgy for far too long.
The reverence and peace of liturgy forms a large part of my devotional life, especially using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
I have supported motions tackling climate change and welcome the focus on developing worship and liturgy to celebrate God’s wonderful creation as well as highlighting the ways we can all engage in our communities and parishes.
I feel fortunate to belong to a church that combines the reverence of traditional Catholic liturgy with the breadth of the Church of England, and I believe it is vital to maintain and emphasise the Catholic heritage, liturgy and sacraments within Anglican life.