This is an inspirational and practical guide for all who help to lead the intercessions in regular worship or to offer prayers in public worship on specific occasions. It aims to empower and equip lay people and clergy alike to offer heartfelt, informed, thoughtful and appropriate prayers on behalf of the people of God for God’s world. Crafting Prayers for Public Worship: • considers what public prayer is and offers practical guidelines for avoiding common pitfalls. • explores prayer as an integral part of worship and the kinds of speech we need (and don’t need) to address God. • reflects on the basic structures and shape of the prayers we create, staying rooted in scripture, the answers we can expect with confidence, becoming part of the answer ouselves, and other practicalities • offers a wide range of templates and examples.

"Samuel Wells steers the reader skilfully between the rocks of over-formality on the one hand and florid moralistic exposition on the other...There is much useful material here." -- Laura Hillman

Samuel Wells is a noted Anglican writer, scholar and priest. Ordained in the Church of England, he is current the Vicar of St-Martin's-in-the-Fields, London. He is the author of several acclaimed books.