What is Liturgy? And Is All Liturgy Roman Catholic?

Dear friend,

Upon visiting our congregation some months ago, you asked why the service was so liturgical, and why are we so concerned with order and flow. You equated our “style” with more liturgical systems like Roman Catholicism.

Like many of us, I too grew up in a standard evangelical environment where much of the service functioned through spontaneity. At times, even the song leader didn’t know what we were going to sing and when we sang whatever he had just chosen, he was careful to articulate which ones we should sing. It was endearing at the time, but as I look back, I find the entire process an unhappy circumstance.

I do not wish to attack high liturgical non-Protestant traditions, but suffice to say, liturgy–which means “the work of the people”– is a fairly historical method of doing church. And we do not need to associate it with any particular movement. You should judge their merits based on their local expression.

What I wish to convey, ever so briefly, is that when you hear “liturgy,” think “intentionality and purpose.” This is what we are after when we structure our services in a liturgical fashion.
We could also add that every church has a liturgy, but some churches are more intentional about structuring their services.

So, the problem with your assessment (which is not negative, but the natural fruit of the first reaction to something you’ve never experienced) is that you have allowed one way of looking at a church service to control your entire narrative. Further, you assume that anything that is not creative or new is, therefore, originated in some Roman practice. But the reality is that a structured liturgy–one with repeated elements each Sunday–is actually found in any Protestant denomination or tradition whether Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and even many Baptist Churches that adhere to more classic Baptist theology.

I don’t state these things to belittle your knowledge but to supplement what you already know with a more catholic view of the faith. Oh, there’s that word again, “catholic.” The word simply refers to “wholeness” or “completeness” and is sometimes translated as “universal.” Therefore, when the Creeds speak of “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church,” we are not offering you, a Protestant, a secret Roman Catholic handshake. We are simply saying that to be biblical is to be a part of a Church that encompasses a greater territory than where you live and that treasures purity and is founded on Apostolic teaching.

I hope this helps you get a better perspective on liturgy and why we do–and have done–things a certain way for a long time. Mighty cheers and I look forward to future conversations.

Sincerely,
Pastor Brito