Worship and Mission

Many churches are now revising their worship, but so far most of the revisions have not made contact with the modern world. The liturgical movement has made worship more pastoral; now a new movement is needed to make it more missionary, or rather to rediscover the outward looking character of worship according to the Bible. Professor Davies has studied the true meaning of Christian worship and of Christian mission with such depth and clarity that his book, summing up a worldwide literature of renewal, may be as influential as the liturgical movement's early manifestos.

""Professor Davies is a scholar and theologian, head of the Department of Theology in the University of Birmingham, who has been deeply involved in the World Council of Churches study on 'The Missionary Structure of the Congregation.' Some WCC studies never escape from the captivity of duplicated documents in ecumenical jargon. That has not been true of this study of what a congregation would look like if mission really were its aim and meaning, partly because those taking part have listened so carefully to what people in 'the front line' have been saying. Dr. Davies's book shows how creative an experience it can be to look at the Catholic heritage of worship and sacraments in this fresh light.""
--David Paten in the Church Times


J. G. Davies (1919-90) was Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology in the University of Birmingham.