Draft Liturgies Report from the Front Lines
October 5, 2026
This past week, the Global Methodist Church released the Draft Liturgies. Tesia Lee Mallory and I spent some time talking about this! We even offered some practical tips for first time users. I was a first-time user, too.
So, how did using the liturgies go on their first Sunday? I was blessed to use two key elements.
Infant Baptism
I was privileged to already have an infant baptism scheduled before the liturgies were even announced. There is something very special about getting to hold a baby and welcome her into the household of faith.
A few of the unique items about the liturgy which stood out to me.
#1 I think it is possible Miss Sadie Jane Sheffield might be the first person baptized with this liturgy. We welcomed her into the church family at our 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time service. It is pretty neat to think out of the 7,000 Global Methodist churches she might be the first.
#2 I found praying the Wesley covenant prayer a powerful part of the service.
#3 Talking about the Global Methodist Church adds more context and meaning than I anticipated. One of the lines in the baptism liturgy is: In the Global Methodist Church, we believe in God’s initiation of grace in our lives. We welcome infants and children to the baptismal font to be incorporated into God’s covenant people.
At first, I was curious about why it might be necessary to disclose our “team.” However, I found this acknowledgement very profound. It is a reminder we are part of the holy catholic church universal. Yet, it is also a reminder we have significant and unique beliefs as Global Methodists. While we are not the only denomination to celebrate infant baptism, it is helpful to know this is an important belief as Global Methodists.
Communion
Our Sunday morning services used the Sacrament of Holy Communion II Abbreviated Liturgy. The decision to use the abbreviated version was because we were celebrating the infant baptism and starting a new series from Philippians, so we expected to be tight on time.
Our background is that we have tried several communion liturgies since leaving our previous connection, including using some of the ones in current hymnals as well as liturgies for communion from Our Great Redeemer’s Praise. The church is used to some variance for our mostly once-a-month communion celebration.
The communion liturgy was rich and smooth. I know this sounds like a coffee description, but I feel like it is appropriate for the beauty of our service on Sunday. Rich were the words and familiar patterns. Smooth was the process of teaching it to the church and explaining how we were going to make it even if we made a mistake or two.
The only concern I had was having people to stand for the Great Thanksgiving portion. This was not our normal practice. As I prepare feedback for the liturgy, I am considering asking for it to include “may stand” or “may be invited to stand” at the start of the great thanksgiving vs “The congregation is invited to stand for the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving”. However, after asking several people following worship, the majority said they liked standing so this may not be as important as I initially thought.
The responsive reading at the breaking of the bread was new to me, and I am looking forward to trying it again.
The highlight for me is the prayer after communion. It is one more way to include the congregation in the meal Jesus gave us.
In conclusion, my first Sunday with the Draft Liturgies was one of deep gratitude. We have taken another step to the start of a deep liturgical renewal. I am grateful for our denomination and the writing team that has blessed us with this resource.
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About David Wesley Donnan
I write online about Methodism, devotional insights, and personal reflections. My primary goal is to organize my thoughts and explore meaningful topics. Along the way, I hope my writing inspires and encourages others on their journey.
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