What to Expect When You Visit

the Episcopal Church

In Episcopal churches, the principal worship service is Holy Eucharist, also known as, “The Lord’s Supper,” “Holy Communion,” or “The Mass.” This worship service is accompanied by singing of hymns.

Worship Styles
Many different worship styles exist in the Episcopal church, from very formal styles with lots of singing, music, and incense, to very informal styles with less music. The Book of Common Prayer is the basis for all worship in the Episcopal Church.  This makes worship feel familiar to Episcopalians, no matter where they go.

Liturgy and Ritual
The worship in the Episcopal Church is “liturgical” and adapts to various seasons of the year. The worship has a comforting and familiar rhythm.  Visitors may find the worship confusing at first and the services may use several books following a service leaflet.  Participants may stand, sit, or kneel during the services.

The Holy Eucharist
In the Episcopal church, Holy Eucharist always maintains the same components despite the various worship styles.

The Liturgy of the Word
The worship opens praising God through prayers, singing and listening to readings from the Bible. These readings include an Old Testament reading, a psalm, and readings from the New Testament (an Epistle and always a reading from the Gospels).

The priest then presents a sermon or meditation based on the readings of the day.   

Following the sermon, the Nicene Creed, written in the Fourth Century, is usually recited.  The congregation then prays for the Church, the World, and those in need. We also thank God for all the good things in our lives.  The congregation together then confesses its sin before God and the priest “pronounces absolution.” This absolution assures the congregation that God is always ready to forgive our sins.  The congregation then “Passes the Peace” to greet one another.

The Liturgy of the Table
After the “Peace”, the priest greets the congregation again and begins the Eucharistic Prayer.  This prayer tells Christianity's story and calls us to God.  The priest relates the story of Jesus Christ and how, on the night before his death, Christ instituted the Eucharistic meal (communion) as a continual remembrance of him. The bread and wine on the altar are now blessed by the priest, and the congregation recites the Lord’s Prayer. Finally, the priest breaks the bread and offers it to the congregation, as the “gifts of God for the People of God.”  The bread and wine are then shared with the congregation.  We believe that Jesus Christ is really present with us in all this.

All Are Welcome
All baptized Christians—no matter what age, or what denomination—are welcome to “receive communion” regardless of which Church they were baptized in. Visitors who are not baptized Christians are still welcome to come forward during the Communion to receive a blessing.

After the Eucharist, the congregation says a prayer of thanksgiving, and is sent forth to continue a life of service to God and the World.

Adapted from “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You”