Young People and Liturgical Renewal in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto: Perspectives on Ecclesiology and Mission from the Pews

It is crucial to consider the perspectives of people in the pews—active lay Anglicans—to understand the operative ecclesiologies and lived missiologies present in the Anglican Communion today. Analysis of focus groups conducted with over four hundred lay people in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto reveals a dominant operative ecclesiology focused on the survival of individual local parishes in familiar forms, and a transactional conception of mission that emphasizes liturgical change to attract younger people. In addition to being theologically problematic, these ecclesiologies and missiologies are disconnected from the contextual realities of the Canadian religious landscape. However, openness to change and a desire for more emotionally energetic liturgy that is relevant to everyday life also have the potential to empower people in the pews to connect their liturgical lives with the Five Marks of Mission of the Anglican Communion and Transformational Aspirations of the Anglican Church of Canada.