A Eucharist-shaped Church: Prayer, Theology, Mission

by Sr. Donna R. Hawk-Reinhard,
member of Anamchara Fellowship and parish administrator for the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Lake St. Louis

History can show us many things, including ways forward. That’s the seed planted in a new book, A Eucharist-shaped Church: Prayer, Theology, Mission, by a hard-working group of scholars and friends based in the Diocese of Missouri.

The book is a resource for all who are interested in how The Episcopal Church arrived at its current eucharistic liturgy and how Prayer Book revision, currently underway, might take that colorful, often contentious, journey into account. The book is in two parts: a historical-theological survey of major movements and thinkers in our tradition followed by assessments, questions, and recommendations for Prayer Book revision.

The main concern throughout the book is the need always to be mindful of how prayer, theology, and mission are interrelated and shape our Christian identity: a change in one aspect of these three will affect the other two. Of particular interest to the authors was the fuller view of the Incarnation, atonement, and salvation in the revised prayers in the 1979 Prayer Book and Enriching Our Worship.

Organized as a group informally called “the Colloquium,” the authors have met regularly for discussions over several years, constantly testing each other’s ideas and theories. The members of the Colloquium include the Very Rev. Don H. Compier, dean of the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry in Topeka, Kansas; the Rev. Warren E. Crews, a retired priest and first dean of the Episcopal School for Ministry in the Diocese of Missouri; the Rev. Marshall Crossnoe, former interim pastor of the Church of the Advent in Crestwood and a former dean of the Episcopal School for Ministry in the Diocese of Missouri; Benjamin M. Guyer, lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of the University of Tennessee at Martin; the Rev. Daniel J. Handschy, former rector of the Church of the Advent and a former dean of the School for Ministry in the Diocese of Missouri, currently rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church, DeWitt, N.Y.; Sr. Donna R. Hawk-Reinhard, a member of Anamchara Fellowship serving as parish administrator for the Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Lake St. Louis and an instructor for the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, former adjunct faculty member of Eden Theological seminary and former instructor for the Episcopal School for Ministry, Diocese of Missouri. Kate McCormick, a member of Transfiguration Church, served as copy editor for the book.

Learn more about the book.