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The Art of Public Prayer: Not for Clergy Only
A resource for worshipers today looking to change hardened worship patterns
that stand in the way of everyday spirituality.
All too often, those who attend church or synagogue find themselves bored or baffled by the service. Their predominant thought is how slowly the time ticks by and that the service never seems to end.
Written for laypeople and clergy of any denomination, The Art of Public Prayer examines how and why religious ritual works and why it often doesn't work.
The Art of Public Prayer uses psychology, social science, theology and common sense to explain the key roles played by ritual, symbolism, liturgy and song in services. Each chapter features "conversation points" designed to get you and your faith community thinking and talking about your own worship patterns where they succeed, and where they need improvement.
The Art of Public Prayer can help you and your fellow congregants revitalize your worship service by allowing you to organize and direct your own worship, making it a meaningful and fulfilling part of your life.
"
that stand in the way of everyday spirituality.
All too often, those who attend church or synagogue find themselves bored or baffled by the service. Their predominant thought is how slowly the time ticks by and that the service never seems to end.
Written for laypeople and clergy of any denomination, The Art of Public Prayer examines how and why religious ritual works and why it often doesn't work.
The Art of Public Prayer uses psychology, social science, theology and common sense to explain the key roles played by ritual, symbolism, liturgy and song in services. Each chapter features "conversation points" designed to get you and your faith community thinking and talking about your own worship patterns where they succeed, and where they need improvement.
The Art of Public Prayer can help you and your fellow congregants revitalize your worship service by allowing you to organize and direct your own worship, making it a meaningful and fulfilling part of your life.
"
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
10 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence A. Hoffman
71 books17 followersDr. Lawrence A. Hoffman was ordained as a rabbi in 1969, received his Ph.D. in 1973, and has taught since then at the Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion, in New York. From 1984 to 1987, he directed its School of Sacred Music as well. In 2003, he was named the first Barbara and Stephen Friedman Professor of Liturgy, Worship and Ritual. He teaches classes in liturgy, ritual, spirituality, theology and synagogue leadership. For almost forty years, he has combined research, teaching, and a passion for the spiritual renewal of North American Judaism.
Rabbi Hoffman has written or edited over forty books, including My People's Prayer Book (Jewish Lights Publishing), a ten-volume edition of the Siddur with modern commentaries, which was named a National Jewish Book Award winner for 2007. His Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life (Jewish Lights Publishing) and his Art of Public Prayer (Skylight Paths) are widely used by churches and synagogues as guides to organizational visioning and liturgical renewal. In 2011, he received a second National Jewish Book Award for co-authoring Sacred Strategies: Transforming Synagogues from Functional to Visionary (Alban Institute).
His articles, both popular and scholarly, have appeared in eight languages and four continents, and include contributions to such encyclopedias as The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Religion, The Oxford Dictionary of Religion, The Encyclopedia of Judaism and The Encyclopedia of Religion in America. He syndicates a regular column which appears, among other places, in The Jewish Week and The Jewish Times; and writes a blog entitled "Life and a Little Liturgy."
For many years, Rabbi Hoffman served as visiting professor of the University of Notre Dame, and has lectured at such places as the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the University of Southern California, and the Yale Divinity School.
In 1990, Dr. Hoffman was selected by the United States Navy as a member of a three-person design team, charged with developing a continuing education course on worship for chaplains. He is a past-president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, the professional and academic organization for liturgists, and in January 2004, received that organization's annual Berakhah Award, for outstanding lifetime contributions to his field.
In 1994, he co-founded "Synagogue 2000," a trans-denominational project to envision the ideal synagogue "as moral and spiritual center" for the 21st century. As Synagogue 3000, it has launched Next Dor, a national initiative to engage the next generation through a relational approach featuring strong communities with transformed synagogues at their center.
He founded and is Academic Coordinator of the Tisch Fellowship Program.
Rabbi Hoffman has written or edited over forty books, including My People's Prayer Book (Jewish Lights Publishing), a ten-volume edition of the Siddur with modern commentaries, which was named a National Jewish Book Award winner for 2007. His Rethinking Synagogues: A New Vocabulary for Congregational Life (Jewish Lights Publishing) and his Art of Public Prayer (Skylight Paths) are widely used by churches and synagogues as guides to organizational visioning and liturgical renewal. In 2011, he received a second National Jewish Book Award for co-authoring Sacred Strategies: Transforming Synagogues from Functional to Visionary (Alban Institute).
His articles, both popular and scholarly, have appeared in eight languages and four continents, and include contributions to such encyclopedias as The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Religion, The Oxford Dictionary of Religion, The Encyclopedia of Judaism and The Encyclopedia of Religion in America. He syndicates a regular column which appears, among other places, in The Jewish Week and The Jewish Times; and writes a blog entitled "Life and a Little Liturgy."
For many years, Rabbi Hoffman served as visiting professor of the University of Notre Dame, and has lectured at such places as the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the University of Southern California, and the Yale Divinity School.
In 1990, Dr. Hoffman was selected by the United States Navy as a member of a three-person design team, charged with developing a continuing education course on worship for chaplains. He is a past-president of the North American Academy of Liturgy, the professional and academic organization for liturgists, and in January 2004, received that organization's annual Berakhah Award, for outstanding lifetime contributions to his field.
In 1994, he co-founded "Synagogue 2000," a trans-denominational project to envision the ideal synagogue "as moral and spiritual center" for the 21st century. As Synagogue 3000, it has launched Next Dor, a national initiative to engage the next generation through a relational approach featuring strong communities with transformed synagogues at their center.
He founded and is Academic Coordinator of the Tisch Fellowship Program.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 26, 2021
This book actually pairs really well with Parker’s The Art of Gathering. Both talk about how and why rituals stop working for people, and how to build or rebuild meaningful communal experiences by understanding how all the component parts function: setting, liturgy, music, the roles different community members play in the life of the community, etc. In the case of actual prayer and ritual, though, there are other nuances Hoffman discusses: sacred space and sacred music are sometimes in conversation with the architecture or music styles of the current culture, but often they’re inherited from a previous generation with different tastes. How do we distinguish between inherited things that have added meaning because of their antiquity and things whose meaning or power has faded as the gulf has widened between their origins and our current culture and values?
I also really appreciated Hoffman’s analysis of synagogue/church politics and some ways to identify and defuse problems. Despite the title, I think this book is at best of academic interest to the average layperson, but I think it’s invaluable for clergy and lay leaders trying to make a meaningful prayer experience for themselves and their communities.
I also really appreciated Hoffman’s analysis of synagogue/church politics and some ways to identify and defuse problems. Despite the title, I think this book is at best of academic interest to the average layperson, but I think it’s invaluable for clergy and lay leaders trying to make a meaningful prayer experience for themselves and their communities.
August 20, 2025
VERY dated anecdotes, says what it needs to in 4x as many words as necessary, and often fails to really emphasize the main point ~ but nevertheless, annoyingly, has some really good ideas.
October 15, 2012
The best book about liturgy we read last year. Very user-friendly and useful.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews