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Book of Alternative Services

The Book of Alternative Services (BAS) is the Anglican Church of Canada’s primary contemporary prayer book, offering structured prayers, liturgies and guidance for worship in a Canadian Anglican context. It provides services for Eucharist, baptism, marriage, funerals, daily prayer and other occasions.

Beyond a prayer book

The BAS also serves as a liturgical and pastoral resource. It includes guidance for adapting services to local and cultural contexts, multiple options for prayers and liturgies and expanded pastoral services not found in the Book of Common Prayer. Its contemporary language and inclusive approach make worship more understandable and participatory.

Supplementary resources

A number of additional resources have been created since the BAS was first published, including:

Suggested uses

  • Planning and leading parish worship
  • Personal or small group prayer and devotion
  • Studying liturgy in seminary or continuing education
  • Adapting services for special occasions, pastoral needs or diverse communities

Key themes

  • Sacramental and Eucharistic worship
  • Daily and seasonal prayer
  • Pastoral care and life-cycle services
  • Inclusive and contemporary liturgical language

Best suited for: clergy, lay worship leaders, parish teams, newcomers, church members, seminary students and anyone seeking guidance for Anglican worship or personal devotion.

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Acknowledging the land and God’s creation

This acknowledgement is crafted in light of the Principles of Reconciliation by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, as we seek to live faithfully in Christ and in right relationship with all. 

We give thanks to the Creator for this land, its waters, forests and all living beings, and for the abiding presence of Christ among us. From coast to coast to coast, these have been cared for and nurtured by First Nations, Inuit and Métis through countless generations. 

We honour the enduring relationship Indigenous Peoples have cultivated with these lands and waters, and the treaties and agreements that reflect these sacred bonds. We acknowledge the harms caused by colonial expansion, through frameworks like the Doctrine of Discovery and structures like the residential school system. We recognize our past failures as a Church, including disruption of connections to the land and suppression of Indigenous spiritualities. 

Guided by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we confess our need for healing. We commit ourselves to seeking truth, pursuing reconciliation and nurturing harmony with all creation. We place our trust in Christ, through whom all things are reconciled to God. 

May God strengthen us to live faithfully as stewards of the Earth. Let us walk in love, justice and reconciliation, joining in God’s work to restore all creation.