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Abstract “RESPONSIVE RATHER THAN EMERGENT: INTENTIONAL Abstract “RESPONSIVE RATHER THAN EMERGENT: INTENTIONAL EPISCOPAL LITURGY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY” NINA RANADIVE POOLEY Project under the direction of The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander With the rise of emerging churches greater attention has been paid to the liturgy of The Episcopal Church; rather than attempt to be emergent, The Episcopal Church is positioned to continue its long standing tradition of liturgical adaptation to be responsive to the needs of the 21st century. An understanding of the Anglican tradition of liturgical adaptation provides Anglican principles of liturgical change and a firm foundation for crafting responsive liturgy. The paper begins with an in-depth look at the emerging church phenomenon and what the issues raised by the emergence of these communities have to teach those in mainstream liturgical traditions about the changing needs of contemporary culture. Following this introduction to emerging churches is a discussion of liturgical inculturation inherent in the development of early Christian liturgy primarily through the expertise of Anscar Chupungco and the work of the liturgical movement leading up to Sacrosanctum Concilium of Vatican II. From this look at early liturgical development the paper then considers the development of Anglican liturgy, specifically the ways in which Anglican liturgy has been adapted throughout history to meet the changing needs of the world. The purpose of this exploration is to show that not only is liturgical adaptation inherently Anglican, but also to discover the foundational Anglican principles for liturgical change. With these principles established, the paper proposes a tool or outline for clergy who wish to offer liturgy that is responsive to the world and is still in-keeping with the liturgical principles of The Episcopal Church. This tool serves as a guide to evaluate new liturgies that are coming from other sources, such as Emerging Churches, as well as provides a guideline for those wanting to craft liturgy for their parishes in a manner that is both responsible to the tradition of the church and responsive to the needs of the 21st century. As the weekly Eucharist is the most frequent rite celebrated in the majority of parishes within The Episcopal Church at this moment in our history, this endeavor focuses on the eucharistic rite in particular. The paper concludes with an appendix that includes some practical ways in which these liturgical principles have been applied successfully. Approved Date Responsive Rather than Emergent: Intentional Episcopal Liturgy for the 21st Century by Nina Ranadive Pooley Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology of the University of the South in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry May, 2014 Sewanee, Tennessee ! ! ! ! ! ! Approved Date CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: Emerging Church ................................................................................... 8 Chapter Two: Liturgical Adaptation Across the Generations ..................................... 28 Chapter Three: Anglican Liturgical Reform ............................................................... 46 Chapter Four: The Ground on Which We Stand, The Prayer Book in America ........ 77 Chapter Five: Intentional Liturgy for the 21st Century ............................................... 98 CONCLUSION: A Tool for Adaptive Liturgy ........................................................ 120 Appendix A: Practically Speaking, Applications that Work ................................... 124 Appendix B: The First Act of Uniformity 1549 ...................................................... 132 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................... 137 ii 1 INTRODUCTION In the last several years a great deal of press and energy have been spent on being a relevant church and having contextual liturgy for a changing age. In her book, The Great Emergence, Phyllis Tickle argues that we are at a major shifting point in Christian history, one that happens every 500 years, and the next reformation of the church is upon us.1 Whether or not this is true, it is clear that between the declining numbers in mainline Protestant denominations and the appearance of emerging churches, there is a great deal of attention being paid to our practice of liturgy. How-to books titled with emerging church buzz-words are marketed to semi-desperate parish priests, with images and ideas that make it all seem so simple. Church as coffee shop; church as a living room with couches; church as a place to create art; church that is not really churchy - don’t worry. While I do not have a particular fight to pick with any of these ideas, it seems to me that it is both a lot more difficult than people are implying, and that we are missing the point. How those of us in the traditional church respond to the changing times and demographics of this day and age, speaks to the core of what it is we are called to do and become as a people of God. It is not an issue of marketing or repackaging as many of the slick, glossy, easy-to-read paperbacks might lead us to believe. It is an issue of identity, of knowing who we are as Episcopalians, and how we came to worship in this particular way. “Emerging Church” may be the genre of latest the catch-words, but this is not a new place for the Anglican tradition. Arguably this is where we have always been: living in our given moment of history, doing our best to apply the lessons and practices of our 1 Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008), 13-26. 2 tradition in faithful ways to our present, in the sure and certain hope of God’s faithfulness into the future. But it is not as simple as it seems. Those of us in liturgical traditions know that in any liturgy there is more going on below the text than is obvious at first glance. Before we can begin to practice good liturgy, and well before we can reform liturgy, we have to understand its development. How the liturgy was shaped by the events of history, and how over time this liturgy has shaped and been shaped by the worshiping community. For those of us in the Anglican tradition, it is important to recognize the history and context of that particular tradition, not as a way of being exclusive or elitist but to answer the questions that arise whenever Anglican liturgy is planned and considered. For example, when to explain something so that it is fully understood by the people, and when to let the symbol and mystery speak for themselves? The question is essentially Anglican, walking that center between Protestant reformers and Catholic sacramentalists. Understanding that middle ground is crucial in presiding over worship. The tension is valid in any given Sunday’s liturgical celebration, but it seems even more important to grasp if we are evaluating “emerging liturgies,” and particularly when we are interested in liturgical reform. Understanding the core principles of Anglicanism and the principles of liturgical change within our tradition seem essential if we are to engage in liturgical reform in our own time. It is my hope that this paper will serve as a tool for clergy who wish to offer liturgy that is responsive to the world and is still in-keeping with the liturgical principles of The Episcopal Church. This tool will provide a way to evaluate new liturgies that are coming from other sources, such as emerging churches, as well as provide a guideline for 3 those wanting to craft liturgy for their parishes in a manner that is both responsible to the tradition of the church and responsive to the needs of the 21st century. As the weekly Eucharist is the most frequent rite celebrated in the majority of parishes within The Episcopal Church at this moment in our history, this endeavor shall focus on the eucharistic rite in particular. Some Background The church I serve is relatively young, and was created by The Right Reverend Harold “Hoppy” Hopkins and a dedicated group of Episcopalians who wanted to grow an intentional church. The principles they put forward as the grounding of their faith community include a new way of doing liturgy, a more inclusive and welcoming parish, a community that recognizes the church as the community not as the building, and one that is not led so much as coached and encouraged by the ordained members serving it. I have spent the last six years doing my best to meet those goals, and this paper is a response to meeting the goal of creative, responsive liturgy in a manner that is careful to respect our liturgical tradition. Over the years and seasons of trial and error I have found that there are liturgical principles I follow in order to craft intentional liturgy that flows well, holds together in an integrated way and hopefully is a faithful articulation of the Gospel. This paper is a response to my wanting the opportunity to do the deeper research into our liturgical history and traditions, to better understand the way in which liturgy changes and responds to the changing needs of the worshiping community, and to in turn be able to be a better liturgist for this community. 4 Looking beyond the needs of this parish I would like to be in a better position to assist the clergy and the people of our diocese. In the Diocese of Maine we are on the edge of ministry in the 21st century, pushed here by the economic and demographic realities of our state, and thus reflecting in some very real ways the future of the greater church. Positioned here on the edge we have realized that we need to pay attention, careful attention, to what we do, why we do it, and for whom we do it. One of the pieces of this discernment is liturgical. I have been asked to work with our bishop and a few others to give clergy day addresses on emerging church, on liturgy for all, on crafting intentional liturgy, and other similar topics over the last few years.
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