Praying the Faith: Authorised Liturgies for Methodist Worship
30 June 2026
The Methodist Conference meeting in Telford has agreed the next steps in a major project to revise its authorised liturgies and produce a new collection known as Praying the Faith, in succession to The Methodist Worship Book.
The Methodist Conference made the decision to begin the project in 2025. While there is no requirement for authorised liturgies to be used in Methodist worship, they are an important expression of the Methodist Church’s worship and belief. As part of this project, a report presented this year sets out principles for the language to be used in the new resources. It seeks to enable it to be inclusive and expansive as well as doctrinally faithful and connected to our tradition and heritage.
The report encourages the language to be hopeful and positive, drawing people into worship, recognising a variety of traditions and welcoming a variety of forms of address for God. This should draw on a diversity of sources while remaining faithful and true to Methodist doctrine. The aim is to ensure consistency, theological integrity, and pastoral sensitivity in how worship is written and experienced.
A key emphasis of the report is the need for language that reflects the Church’s commitment to justice, dignity and solidarity. The report offers a positive vision for the language to be used, highlighting that all people matter to God by being inclusive and respectful, avoiding language that could be regarded, for example as ableist or unnecessarily gendered.
It acknowledges that traditional liturgical language may reflect cultural assumptions that can unintentionally exclude or harm. As a result, careful attention must be given to how language shapes people’s understanding of God and themselves.
The Methodist tradition, including the influence of John and Charles Wesley, emphasises the importance of accessible, expressive and shared language as a key vehicle for theology and devotion.
In common with a number of our ecumenical partners, The Methodist Worship Book uses the 1998 English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC) texts for shared and ecumenical texts, such as the creeds. The Conference agreed that the ELLC texts should continue to be used but that alternatives that use a wider range of imagery and language should also be included.
Having received the report, the Conference directed the Faith and Order Committee to follow its guidance when drafting and revising the liturgical resources. The Conference encourages all Methodist preachers and leaders of worship to study this report and to reflect on the language they use in worship.
The Revd Dr Mark Rowland, Secretary of the Faith and Order Committee, commented, “Praying the Faith is a major project seeking to resource our worship well that will unfold over the coming years. The decisions that the Conference has made, especially about language, set key foundations for this work, which will shape it in line with our commitments on justice, dignity and solidarity as well as in fidelity to the faith that we have gladly received and joyfully proclaim.”