High, Low, and Broad: Finding Ourselves in Episcopal Worship

A Reflection on Churchmanship and Worship

One of the first questions newcomers to Christ Church often ask is surprisingly consistent: “Is this a high-church parish or a low-church parish?”

My usual answer is simple: “Yes.”

Or, if I’m feeling slightly more explanatory: “We’re all of that — it just depends on which Sunday you come.”

One of the most delightful things about being Episcopalian is that we inherited not just a tradition of worship, but a range of ways to worship — all rooted in the same prayer book, the same sacraments, and the same love of God. If you spend enough time around Episcopalians, you’ll eventually hear people describe liturgy as “high church,” “low church,” or “broad church.” These terms can sound mysterious, but they’re really just shorthand for style and emphasis in worship.

And like many things in Anglicanism, they are best understood with a little history, a little humor, and a lot of grace.

Let’s start with the simplest explanation.

Low church worship emphasizes simplicity, clarity, and the spoken word. The focus is on Scripture, preaching, congregational participation, and prayer without much ceremonial action. You’ll still find vestments, the Eucharist, and the structure of the Book of Common Prayer, but the liturgy is usually straightforward and restrained.

High church worship, by contrast, leans into the sensory and symbolic dimensions of liturgy. This is where you’ll hear the affectionate Episcopal phrase “smells and bells.” Bells may ring during the Eucharistic prayer. Incense may rise like visible prayer. Processions, candles, chant, and careful ceremonial movements help communicate the mystery of God’s presence among us.

Then there is broad church, which is where many Episcopal congregations — including Christ Church — tend to live. Broad church worship holds together reverence and accessibility, beauty and clarity, tradition and pastoral sensitivity. It is less about picking a “side” and more about drawing from the fullness of Anglican tradition in ways that help people pray.

If Anglicanism were a meal, low church might be simple bread and soup, high church a multi-course feast, and broad church the joyful parish potluck where everyone brings something meaningful to the table.

At Christ Church, we probably fit most comfortably in that broad church middle space, though we occasionally lean in one direction or another depending on the season, the liturgy, or what we’re trying to teach together as a community.

Because here’s the truth: liturgy forms us over time.

And formation often happens best in baby steps.

You’ve heard me say before that we sometimes like to “separate our high from our low and do one thing at a time.” That’s not indecision — it’s intentional teaching. Anglican worship is deeply embodied, and introducing elements gradually allows them to become prayerful rather than distracting.

Take bells, for example. In more traditionally Catholic (high church) expressions of Anglican worship, small altar bells may be rung at key moments during the Eucharistic prayer — especially when the bread and wine are consecrated. The bells aren’t there for drama or performance. They are meant to draw attention to the mystery unfolding at the altar, to say in sound what the liturgy says in words: something holy is happening here.

Lately at Christ Church, bells have been a gentle first step into the richness of ceremonial worship. They add beauty without overwhelming the liturgy or the congregation.

On the First Sunday of Lent, we’ll take the next step together: we will introduce incense into our worship and let the bells rest for a season. We don’t want to get too fancy too fast. Instead, we continue learning the language of prayer slowly and faithfully, one practice at a time.

Incense is one of the oldest symbols in Christian worship, drawn directly from Scripture: “Let my prayer be set forth in your sight as incense” (Psalm 141:2).

As the smoke rises, it gives us a visible reminder that prayer rises to God — and that God’s presence fills sacred space. And that leads to the most important point in all of this: None of these practices exist for their own sake.

Not bells. Not incense. Not ceremonial movement. Not liturgical vocabulary.

All of it is about prayer.

The ways we ornament, decorate, and emphasize worship are meant to point toward one reality: God is present among us. The beauty of Anglican liturgy is not aesthetic performance; it is theological proclamation. It is the Church saying with its whole body — through sound, silence, movement, symbol, and sacrament — that Christ is here.

That conviction sits at the heart of who we are at Christ Church.

We are not trying to become “high church.”

We are not trying to remain “low church.”

We are not experimenting for novelty’s sake.

We are simply trying to become a people of prayer who recognize and respond to the presence of God in our midst.

The Penitential Order is another adaptation from the Book of Common prayer we will start using in the Lenten season and reflects that same desire. By moving confession and absolution to the beginning of the liturgy, we begin worship by telling the truth — about ourselves and about God. We acknowledge our need for mercy, and we hear the assurance of forgiveness before we listen to Scripture and come to the Table.

Grace meets us at the very start.

And from there, the liturgy carries us — week by week — into deeper prayer, deeper awareness, and deeper trust in God’s presence.

Whether a service feels more simple or more ceremonial, the purpose is always the same: to help us encounter the living God together.

At Christ Church, our worship continues to grow organically out of who we are: a community grounded in Scripture, formed by the Book of Common Prayer, nourished by the Eucharist, and open to the beauty of tradition without ever losing our pastoral heart.

Some Sundays will feel simpler.

Some will feel more ceremonial.

All of them are invitations to pray.

And as we continue taking these small, faithful steps together — bells resting, incense rising, prayers deepening — we trust that God is shaping us into a community whose worship is not only beautiful, but true.

Because in the end, Anglican worship isn’t really about high church or low church.

It’s about the Church lifted high in prayer, grounded low in humility, and stretched broad enough to welcome everyone into the presence of God.

Pax et Bonum!

Fr. Ben +