Worship Materials

Worship and liturgy to support the use of AI in Churches

The Appreciating Church book contains a section of worship resources created and collected by people who have used Appreciative Inquiry methods in co-creating more resilient church communities.

This section offers suggestions for worship materials and liturgies for introducing Appreciative Inquiry when the approach is being used with churches. You are invited to offer additional materials using the ‘Submit Your Story’ contact form.

We’re very grateful for all the contributions to these worship resources. Material in the worship section has been provided by named authors, who are happy for their prayers and liturgies to be used in worship. If a prayer or other piece of work is printed for use in worship or other non-profit purposes, it should be credited to the named author and not altered. Permission must be sought in advance for any part of this publication to be reproduced in a commercial project, whether
printed or digital.

Worship itself is a supreme act of appreciation.

Worship, through the Spirit, is generative. This doesn’t mean that our worship of God always results in dramatic changes or actions. It may generate stillness or a sense of emptiness rather than filling-up. The Appreciating Church workbook already includes Bible references, quotes and real-life illustrations that can be used in acts of worship. Much of what you see in this section has been written by people who practice AI in their meetings and churches. Rather than AI being a tool or an add-on, it is an integral part of their worshipping lives. These resources could be used to end or begin AI sessions or to introduce the whole idea of appreciation into services. Connections to the AI core principles are suggested in some cases.

A prayer to start our meetings.

Gracious God

Refreshing one

Attending to your word and world has brought us here

Tenderly release us from our rightful concerns

Instil in us your peace.

Treasure of our hearts

Undo the ties that bind us

Draw us in to your love’s

Embrace