Liturgy is the ordered shape of a church's public worship: set prayers, Scripture readings, psalms, hymns, Communion, and blessings arranged in a fixed sequence. Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches use detailed official orders, while many Protestant and nondenominational churches plan services more loosely but still follow a recognizable pattern.
What Does a Liturgical Service Include?
Most services move through several marked parts, and worshippers can often tell when one ends and another begins.
- Opening: a call to worship, an invocation or sign of the cross, a processional hymn, and words of welcome.
- Liturgy of the Word: Old and New Testament readings, a psalm, prayers, and a sermon or homily.
- Liturgy of the Eucharist: the offertory, a Eucharistic prayer, the breaking of bread, and Communion.
- Closing: intercessions, a benediction, and a dismissal.
In Catholic and Orthodox services, the second and third parts carry the formal names Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist. Other churches use the same general pattern without those labels.
Where Does the Word Come From?
The word comes from the Greek leitourgia, an ancient term for public work or service performed for the city. Christians adopted it for the public service offered to God, above all the celebration of the Eucharist. The word also names the books that hold these orders: the Roman Missal in Catholic churches, the Divine Liturgy in Orthodox churches, and the Book of Common Prayer in many Anglican and Episcopal churches.
How Do Different Traditions Use It?
Catholics call their principal Sunday worship the Mass. Orthodox Christians call theirs the Divine Liturgy, celebrated with icons, incense, and chant or hymn. Anglican, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches follow written orders that move with the church year. Many Baptists, Methodists, and nondenominational churches simply call their printed plan an order of service, though a repeatable worship pattern is still present. To see how these traditions differ in practice, read about what makes a church liturgical.
How Does the Church Year Shape a Service?
Liturgical churches follow a calendar of seasons, including Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary Time. The readings, hymns, vestments, and prayers change with the season, so a service in December may feel very different from one in June. Scripture readings for the year come from a lectionary; see how the lectionary works.
What to Expect If You Attend
Expect to stand for some parts, sit for readings and the sermon, and possibly kneel or make the sign of the cross. Communion is usually the central act: Catholics receive the bread at Communion, while some churches serve only one kind and others serve both. Most congregations print the order of the service in a bulletin or worship folder, so you can follow along even if you do not know the music. Arriving a few minutes early lets you observe the room and ask an usher or greeter about customs.