This guide is for worship leaders, pastors, and church communicators who want to understand what inclusive language in worship actually means, why it matters, and how to practice it in practical, sustainable ways across every element of a service. This is a resource for progressive Christian communities of faith.

Inclusive language in worship refers to the intentional use of words, images, and phrases that welcome people of all genders, identities, and experiences into full participation in the life of the church. It operates on two related but distinct levels:

These two levels work together. A congregation that expands its language for God while still defaulting to "mankind" and "brothers" sends a mixed signal. Conversely, a church that addresses its people inclusively while insisting on exclusively masculine God-language has only gone halfway. The most coherent practice holds both together.

The case for inclusive language in worship isn't primarily strategic — it's rooted in the nature of God and the character of the Gospel.

Scripture itself uses a broader range of images for God than most traditional liturgy reflects. The Hebrew word for God's compassion — rachamim — shares a root with rechem, the word for womb. The wisdom tradition of the Hebrew Bible personifies divine wisdom as Sophia, a feminine figure. Jesus uses maternal imagery in Matthew 23:37, longing to gather Jerusalem's children "as a hen gathers her chicks."

When our worship language exclusively names God in masculine terms, we aren't being more biblical — we're being less. We're selecting from the scriptural witness rather than drawing on its full depth.

For congregations committed to the full inclusion of women, nonbinary people, and those who have been harmed by patriarchal religious structures, inclusive language is also a matter of pastoral care. Liturgy that assumes everyone is male — or that God is exclusively male — communicates belonging or exclusion before a single sermon is preached.

Prayer language is often where congregations begin. Simple shifts make a meaningful difference:

• Replace "Father God" with "Gracious God," "Creator," "Holy One," or "God of compassion" — rotating images throughout the liturgical year rather than fixing on one.
• Use "we" and "us" language in communal prayer rather than gendered address to the congregation.
• In intercessory prayer, use people's names or neutral phrasing rather than assumed gender.
• For the Trinity, consider alternatives like "Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer" alongside the traditional formula, or alternate between them across seasons.

The ELCA's Evangelical Lutheran Worship and the Episcopal Church's Book of Common Prayer both offer models of expansive language in liturgy that progressive mainline congregations can draw from and adapt.

Sermons are where inclusive language either lands or falls apart. A worship leader who uses expansive language in the Call to Worship and then preaches with exclusively masculine pronouns for God or uses "men" to mean everyone sends a contradictory message.

Practical moves for the pulpit:

• When reading Scripture, note when translations use generic masculine language and offer a clarifying comment or read from an inclusive-language translation like the NRSV or CEB.
• Vary your imagery for God across a sermon series — not to avoid the Father, but to add the Mother, the Wind, the Rock, the Shepherd, the Bread.
• Tell stories featuring people of varied genders and backgrounds when illustrating theological points.
• Avoid defaulting to "he" for hypothetical people in illustrations — alternate, or use "they."

Read our guide on how AI can support your work to bring inclusive language to sermons →

Hymnody is one of the most challenging areas of inclusive language practice because congregations have deep emotional attachments to familiar texts — and because changing beloved words can feel like loss rather than gift.

A few approaches that progressive congregations have found sustainable:

• Use the GIA Publications hymnals (like Worship IV or Gather) and the UCC's New Century Hymnal, which include inclusive-language versions of classic hymns.
• When singing familiar hymns with exclusive language, offer a brief note in the bulletin or a spoken introduction acknowledging the history of the text and the congregation's commitment to expansive language.
• Commission or choose new music from contemporary songwriters working in inclusive traditions — there is a growing body of contemporary worship music written from a progressive perspective.
• For hymns where the text is central to the theology (not just illustrative), consider a full text substitution; for hymns where the tune carries most of the weight, a lighter editorial touch may serve better.

Translation choice is a form of theological statement. The Bible translation your congregation reads aloud in worship shapes how people hear God's word. This is especially true for churches that follow the liturgical calendar and lectionary.

Translations with intentional inclusive-language policies for human referents include:

• New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVue) — the standard for most mainline denominations, including UCC, ELCA, Episcopal, and PCUSA.
• Common English Bible (CEB) — readable, accessible, and uses inclusive language for human referents throughout.
• The Inclusive Bible — a full translation with expansive language for both human beings and the Divine.

When the text itself uses patriarchal imagery that is integral to the passage (as in many Pauline letters), brief contextual commentary from the preacher — rather than silent reading — allows the congregation to receive the text critically and faithfully. 

Inclusive language extends beyond spoken worship into everything your congregation reads. Bulletins, projection slides, website copy, and email communications all carry the same theological weight.

• Audit your standard bulletin language for gendered defaults — "Ladies" and "Gentlemen" sections, gendered committee names, and similar patterns.
• Use "they/them" as a singular pronoun without hesitation in written materials.
• Review your website's "About" and "Beliefs" pages for language that assumes a gender-binary congregation.
• Projection slides for liturgy should reflect the same expansive language choices as spoken worship — don't display a masculine-default text while the leader reads an expansive version.

Introducing inclusive language in worship works best as a gradual, communal process rather than an overnight change. Congregations that have navigated this well tend to follow a similar pattern:

Start with education, not implementation. A sermon series, adult education class, or book study on inclusive language and the theology behind it builds the shared foundation that makes liturgical changes feel like growth rather than disruption.

Build a worship language guide. Work with your worship team to create a simple document that establishes your congregation's commitments — which translations you'll use, how you'll address God in prayer, what terms you'll avoid and prefer. This becomes a reference for guest preachers and new staff.

Change one element at a time. Begin with prayers and liturgical language, where the worship leader has full control. Then move to bulletin and communication language. Hymnody often comes last, when the congregation has already experienced the fullness of inclusive practice in other areas.

Create space for questions. Some congregants, particularly those from more traditional backgrounds, will have genuine theological questions. Pastoral conversation — not dismissal — is the appropriate response. Inclusive language practice that is explained and grounded in Scripture tends to find much broader acceptance than changes implemented without context.

Read our guide to copyright and whether you can simply "change the word" →

For congregations that are explicitly affirming of LGBTQ+ people, inclusive language practice takes on additional dimensions. Gender-inclusive language for both people and God creates space for nonbinary and gender-expansive congregants to fully inhabit the worship space. Using "they/them" pronouns comfortably in liturgy signals that the congregation's affirmation extends into its deepest communal practices, not just its stated policies.

An affirming congregation that still defaults to masculine generics in liturgy has a gap between its stated welcome and its practiced one. Inclusive language is how that gap closes.

What is inclusive language in worship?
Inclusive language in worship refers to intentional choices about how a congregation speaks of God, addresses its members, and reads Scripture — using words and images that welcome people of all genders and identities rather than defaulting to masculine generics.

Why does language matter in church services?
Language in worship isn't neutral. It communicates theology — who God is, who the congregation is, and who belongs. Exclusive language can communicate, unintentionally, that certain people are outside the circle of address. Inclusive language practice aligns the words of worship with the theological conviction that all people are made in the image of God.

How do progressive churches use gender-inclusive language for God?
Progressive congregations draw on the full range of God-imagery in Scripture — Creator, Sustainer, Holy Wisdom, Comforter, Rock, Shepherd — and rotate these images through prayer, preaching, and liturgy rather than fixing exclusively on Father or King. Some congregations also use gender-neutral or feminine pronouns for God in liturgical texts.

What is expansive language in liturgy?
Expansive language is a term used in mainline denominations — particularly the ELCA and Episcopal traditions — to describe language for God that goes beyond traditional masculine imagery. It doesn't eliminate Father or Son from the vocabulary, but adds and amplifies the broader range of divine imagery available in Scripture and tradition.

How can worship leaders make sermons and prayers more inclusive?
Begin with translation — use the NRSVue or CEB for public Scripture reading. Vary God-imagery across a sermon series. Use "we" and "friends" language in communal prayer. Audit your bulletin and screen language for gendered defaults. And use a tool like PCM Lumen to draft prayers and liturgical texts that default to inclusive and expansive language from the start.