Resources On Reformed Liturgies

In the classical period of Reformed theology (1525–1725) the Reformed churches followed certain patterns in their worship. We call these patterns liturgies. Every congregation at worship follows a liturgy. After all our English word liturgy is derived from a Greek word for worship (λειτουργία). Some traditions have very formal worship, sometimes designated a “high liturgy,” with set patterns of prayer, responsive readings, and perhaps even processions and some traditions have less formal liturgies but even those so-called low church traditions, e.g., most American evangelical churches, follow a liturgy even when they are not aware. The predominant American evangelical pattern of singing for a period of time followed by a sermon developed in the nineteenth century, during the waves of revivals known as the Second Great Awakening. Prior to the nineteenth century, most Protestant churches followed a liturgy with patristic, medieval, and Reformation roots.

The Reformed churches in the sixteenth century consciously sought to organize their worship after the pattern they saw in the Scriptures and in the most ancient Christian churches. That pattern or liturgy was fairly simple and may be fairly described as dialogical: God speaks through his Word (read, preached, and made visible in the sacraments), and the people responded in prayer or song and most of the time that song was comprised of God’s Word from the Psalms or some other portion of Scripture.

This resource page is offered to help Reformed confessing churches recover their historic patterns worship.

Heidelblog Articles

Online Sources

Bibliography

  • Baird, Charles W., The Presbyterian Liturgies: Historical Sketches. Wipf & Stock, 2006.
  • Clark, R. Scott. Recovering the Reformed Confession. P&R Publishing, 2008.
  • Davies, Horton. The Worship of the English Puritans. Soli Deo Publications, 1997.
  • Gibson, Jonathan, et al. ed. Reformation Worship: Liturgies from the Past for the Present. New Growth Press, 2018.
  • Jones, Cheslyn, et al. The Study of Liturgy. Rev. ed. SPCK/Oxford University Press, 1992.
  • Maag, Karin. Worshiping with the Reformers. Inter-Varsity Press, 2021.
  • Old, Hughes Oliphant. Guides to the Reformed Tradition: Worship. John Knox Press, 1984.
  • Old, Hughes Oliphant. Shaping the Reformed Baptismal Rite in the Sixteenth Century. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.
  • Old, Hughes Oliphant. The Patristic Roots of Reformed Worship. Theologischer Verlag, 1975. Repr. Wipf & Stock, 2023.
  • Old, Hughes Oliphant. Holy Communion: In the Piety of the Reformed Church. Powder Springs, GA: Tolle Lege Press, 2013.
  • Senn, Frank C. Christian Liturgy: Catholic and Evangelical. Fortress Press, 1997.
  • Thompson, Bard, ed. Liturgies of the Western Church. Meridian Books, 1961; Fortress Press, 1980.
  • United Reformed Churches in North America. Liturgical Forms and Prayers of the United Reformed Churches in North America: Together with the Doctrinal Standards of the URCNA. The United Reformed Churches in North America, 2018.
  • Wielenga, B. The Reformed Baptism Form: A Commentary. Edited by David Engelsma. Translated by Annemie Godbehere. Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2016.
  • Wielenga, B. The Reformed Lord’s Supper Form: A Commentary. Ed. by David Engelsma. Translated by David Schuringa. Reformed Free Publishing, 2023.

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