Diversity of worship practices
Different Christian denominationA branch of the Christian Church. worship in different ways:
- AnglicanChurches that were formed as the British Empire spread to nations across the world based themselves on the model of the Church of England. They linked themselves together as a community of Churches known as the Anglican Communion., Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church is a community of baptised believers in Christ that is led by the Pope. The Catholic Church teaches that the Pope has special authority that descends from Jesus himself. and Orthodox ChristianA Christian, especially found in eastern Europe, who rejected the idea of the Bishop of Rome being the sole leader of the Christian Church. have a set form of worship. It is a formal ritual based around the sacramentA Christian ceremony based on the words or actions of Jesus in which God is believed to be present and active, eg baptism, Eucharist. The Catholic Church has seven sacraments in total., particularly Holy CommunionCentral liturgical service observed by most Churches, recalling the last meal of Jesus.. This type of worship is called liturgical worship.
- Other Christian churches practise non-liturgical worship, eg BaptistA member of the Baptist Church, or a Christian who practices believers' baptism. and QuakerA member of the Society of Friends, a Christian denomination whose central belief is that every human being contains a reflection of the image of God.. This kind of worship has no set form and often does not involve Holy Communion. It is usually centred on BibleThe holy book of Christians split into two sections: Old Testament and New Testament. readings, a sermonReligious teaching usually given verbally to a group of believers., music and prayers. It can be structured or unstructured and spontaneous.
Whatever style of worship is used, many Christians believe it is important to come together to share acts of devotionLoyalty and dedication. and honour to God.
