Introduction : In search of the 'boundless riches of Christ' -- 'This assembly of believer' : the primary symbol at work --- Assisted reproduction : the baptizing assembly -- 'Christ is present in HIS church'? ; gender, presiding, and the primary symbol -- The pastoral care of 'the sick' : assembling bodies with impairment -- Equivalent, equal, or something new? : adjustments to marriage in the primary symbol -- Conclusion : 'How beautiful the feet' : discerning the path of the primary symbol

Among the symbols with which the liturgy deals, none is more important than this assembly of believers. This claim made in the 1970s forces the local church to consider those within its congregation, and recognise the gifts and challenges of difference within the church community. In 'This Assembly of Believers' Bryan Cones seeks to take seriously the pastoral context of a congregation, recognising the physical ability, gender and sexuality of those who make up the congregation. Starting each chapter with their lived experience, Cones poses important questions of the liturgy in light of these experiences before realigning the liturgy to demonstrate the positive theological significance of the marginalised within the congregation