What are "Practices"?

OCR calls this topic Christianity: Practices. It asks: how do Christians put their faith into action — in worship, in ritual, in the seasons of the year, and in service to others?

• Worship & prayer — how Christians praise God, together and alone.
• Sacraments — outward signs of God's grace, especially baptism and the Eucharist.
• Festivals & pilgrimage — Christmas, Easter and special religious journeys.
• The Church in action — mission, evangelism and charity, locally and worldwide.

Spec focus: the specification asks you to describe these practices and explain why they matter, showing you understand how and why practices differ between denominations (e.g. Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and free churches).

Words you must be able to define

• Liturgical worship — worship that follows a set structure or form (e.g. a Catholic Mass or Anglican service).
• Non-liturgical worship — informal worship with no fixed set order (e.g. in many free churches).
• Sacrament — an outward sign of inward grace; a holy ritual through which Christians receive God's grace.
• Eucharist — the sharing of bread and wine in memory of the Last Supper (also called Holy Communion, Mass or the Lord's Supper).
• Pilgrimage — a special religious journey to a holy place, e.g. Lourdes or Iona.

Common mix-up: liturgical = a set, structured form of worship; non-liturgical = informal and free. Both are ways of worshipping the same God — they are not "better" or "worse".

Define the term

How Christians worship

Worship is honouring and praising God. The specification highlights three broad kinds, which shape different services and denominations:

Why it matters: liturgical worship gives Christians a shared, familiar structure and links them to the wider Church; non-liturgical worship allows spontaneity and personal expression; private prayer lets a believer speak to God alone at any time.

Practice → meaning

Tap a practice on the left, then its meaning on the right.

Baptism — welcome with water

In baptism, water is used as a sign of washing away sin and welcoming a person into the Church. Denominations practise it differently:

The Eucharist — bread and wine

The Eucharist (also called Holy Communion, Mass or the Lord's Supper) is the sharing of bread and wine in memory of Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples before his death. Christians understand it in different ways:

• Roman Catholics teach transubstantiation: the bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Christ.
• Many Protestants (e.g. Baptists) see it mainly as a memorial that recalls Jesus' sacrifice.

Scripture: at the Last Supper Jesus said "This is my body… this is my blood" (based on Luke 22:19–20), telling his followers to "do this in remembrance of me." This is why the Eucharist is central to worship.

Understanding the Eucharist

Christmas — celebrating the incarnation

At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus — the belief that God became human in Jesus, known as the incarnation. It is marked with church services (including Midnight Mass), carols, nativity plays and giving to others.

Which festival?

Easter and Holy Week

Easter is the most important Christian festival. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus — the belief that, after being crucified, Jesus rose from the dead. It follows Holy Week, which retells the last days of Jesus' life:

Because Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, they have hope of life after death and celebrate Easter with joyful services, often beginning at dawn on Easter Sunday.

Pilgrimage — a special journey

A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place, made for a religious reason. It is not required for all Christians, but many find it deepens their faith. Popular Christian pilgrimage sites include:

• Lourdes (France) — a place of healing and prayer, especially for the sick.
• Iona (Scotland) and Taizé (France) — places of quiet, community and reflection.
• Jerusalem — where Jesus taught, died and, Christians believe, rose again.
• Walsingham (England) — a long-established English place of pilgrimage.

Purpose: pilgrims travel to feel closer to God, to pray, to seek healing or forgiveness, and to strengthen their faith through the journey itself and the holy place they reach.

A place of pilgrimage

The local church community

The word "Church" means the whole body of Christians, not just the building. In the local community, churches put their faith into action by serving people in need:

• Food banks — many churches run or support food banks that give food to families in hardship.
• Street pastors — trained volunteers who care for people out at night in towns and cities.
• Support such as debt advice, youth groups, warm spaces and help for the homeless.

Why they do it: Christians follow Jesus' teaching to love their neighbour and to serve "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40) — so caring for others is seen as serving Christ himself.

Mission, evangelism and worldwide work

Christians believe the Church has a mission to share the good news of Jesus and to serve the world. Evangelism means sharing the Christian message so others may come to faith.

Worldwide, Christian charities and agencies carry out this mission through practical aid and campaigning for justice:

• Christian Aid and Tearfund — help people in poverty and respond to disasters.
• CAFOD — the Catholic agency for overseas development.
• Such work often includes reconciliation — helping enemies make peace after conflict.

Key idea: the Church is both local (food banks, street pastors) and worldwide (agencies like Christian Aid, CAFOD and Tearfund) — putting the command to love others into action everywhere.

Sacrament or festival?

Tap a practice, then tap the box it belongs in.

A map of Christian practices

Here is the whole topic on one page — how Christians put their faith into practice:

Explain a type of worship

Types of prayer

Prayer is communication with God. Christians pray together in church and privately at home. The specification highlights different kinds of prayer:

• Set prayer — a fixed, well-known prayer, such as the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus taught his followers.
• Informal (extempore) prayer — prayer in a person's own words, spoken from the heart.

Prayers can also give thanks, ask forgiveness, praise God (adoration), or ask for help for oneself or others (intercession). Private prayer lets a believer speak to God at any time.

Memory hook: set prayer = the same familiar words; informal prayer = your own words, in the moment.

Which prayer?

Why these practices matter

Exam questions often ask about the importance of Christian practices. Practices are not just rituals — they express faith and shape daily life:

• Worship and prayer help Christians feel close to God and strengthen their faith and community.
• Baptism marks the start of the Christian life and welcomes a person into the Church.
• The Eucharist reminds Christians of Jesus' death and, for many, feeds them with God's grace.
• Festivals like Christmas and Easter retell the core story of Jesus each year.
• Pilgrimage and mission (food banks, street pastors, agencies) turn belief into action and service.

Which area of practice?

Tap a practice, then tap the box it belongs to.

One more check

The practices to know

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