Common Prayer in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion

The Episcopal Church and other Churches in the Anglican Communion value common prayer. The liturgies, worship services, and prayers we use when we are gathered together are collected into a book that can be held in the hand. On any given Sunday, diverse groups of people gather in Episcopal churches to worship God together. We usually hold assorted theological views and a broad range of political opinions. We set our differences aside and pray using the same beautiful, theologically robust prayers that Anglican Christians have used for centuries. We believe that when we worship and participate in the sacraments together, God transforms us through a process of sanctification. How we pray shapes and forms how we believe. We learn to be more forgiving, loving, and accepting of our differences. We believe the world needs more of these qualities. 

While we do pray using common words on Sundays, this does not mean we don't also pray our own prayers. We engage in spontaneous and extemporaneous prayer in many other settings and times: at home with our families, during private devotions, before meals, before Bible studies, before church meetings, when we serve others, and many other times. 

We warmly invite you to come and explore a life of faith with us at Epiphany, where you can experience the richness of common prayer and the freedom of personal prayer in many different forms.

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the official book of worship of the Episcopal Church. The BCP provides liturgical forms, prayers, and instructions so that all members and orders of the Episcopal Church can share in common worship. Anglican liturgical piety has been rooted in the Prayer Book tradition since the publication of the first English Prayer Book in 1549. The first American BCP was ratified by the first General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 1789. It was based on the Proposed Book of 1786, and the 1662 English Book of Common Prayer, as well as the Scottish eucharistic rite of 1764. The BCP is ratified by the Church's General Convention. Alterations or additions require the approval of two successive General Conventions. The General Convention may also authorize services for trial use. American editions of the BCP for the Episcopal Church were published in 1789, 1892, 1928, and 1979. The BCP notes that “The Holy Eucharist, the principal act of Christian worship on the Lord’s Day and other major Feasts, and Daily Morning and Evening Prayer, as set forth in this Book, are the regular services appointed for public worship in this Church” (p. 13).

The BCP includes the calendar of the church year, and it provides forms for the Daily Office, the Great Litany, the Collects, Proper Liturgies for Special Days, Holy Baptism, the Holy Eucharist, Pastoral Offices, and Episcopal Services. In addition to many forms for corporate worship, the BCP also provides forms for Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families (pp. 136-140). The BCP includes both contemporary language (Rite 2) and traditional language (Rite 1) versions of the forms for prayer and worship. The BCP also includes the Psalter, or Psalms of David in their entirety; Prayers and Thanksgivings; An Outline of the Faith, or Catechism; Historical Documents of the Church (including the Articles of Religion); Tables for Finding the Date of Easter and other Holy Days; and lectionaries for the Holy Eucharist and the Daily Office.

-The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church