15 Aug GS 1980 art 128

Posted at 12:01h in CanRC, GS 1980 by

GS 1980 ARTICLE 128 – Book of Praise (Liturgical Forms) Committee II presents:

I. General

A. Material –  Agenda VIII,

  • B, 8 – Report of the Committee on Translation and Revision of the Confessional and Liturgical Forms, June 1979, June 1980.
  • B, 9 – Additional Report from the Committee (with corrections).
  • B, 22 – Letter from the Church at London re: Bap­tism, Profession.
  • B, 23 – Letter from the Church at Surrey re: Profes­sion.
  • B, 24 – Letter from the Church at Burlington-East re: Lord’s Supper.
  • B, 25 – Letter from the Church at Carman re: Lord’s Supper and Marriage.
  • 8, 26 – Letter from the Church at Surrey re: Lord’s Supper.
  • B, 27 – Letter from the Church at Brampton re: Elders and Deacons.
  • B, 28 – Letter from the Church at Burlington-East re: Deacons.
  • B, 29 – Letter from the Church at Houston re: Eng­lish style.

B. Observations

  • 1. The Committee has completed its mandate with respect to the Liturgical Forms, as given by Synod Coaldale 1977 (Acts, Article 60, sub 3b, 3c, 4, 5, 6, and 8) and provides Synod with “a revised text of the Liturgical Forms and a new Abbreviated Form for the Administration of the Lord’s Supper.”
  • 2. The Committee recommends with respect to the completed material:
    • a. “to use the R.S.V. translation of the Bible for the quotations from Scripture in Creeds and Forms, in agreement with the recommenda­tion of the Deputies for the Bible Translation;
    • b. to make the use of the Lord’s Prayer at the close of forms and prayers optional, and to leave it in the freedom of the churches to pray the Lord’s Prayer in unison;
    • c. to leave it in the freedom of the churches to profess their faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed through the recital by the minister, through a recital by the congregation, or by congregational singing;
    • d. to give tentative approval to the text of the Liturgical Forms … as sub­mitted, for provisional use in the Churches.”
  • 3. The Committee also recommends to appoint a new committee with the mandate:
    • a. “to have the submitted Forms … checked on language and style by a sub-committee appointed by Synod and consisting of two experts in the English language and one member of the Committee;
    • b. to publish – if feasible in cooperation with the Committee for the Book of Praise – the checked Forms … for tentative use by the churches;
    • c. to forward five copies of this publication for information to deputies of sister-churches, for correspondence with sister-churches abroad.”
  • 4. The Church at Houston recommends the following:
    • a. “General Synod appoint a committee of persons who are experts in the English language;
    • b. give this committee the mandate to edit the forms, prayers, and any­ thing else that is to be included in the Book of Praise, and has not yet been properly edited by persons qualified in the English language;
    • c. charge this committee, that after it has completed its initial work, it is to consult with the respective committees in order to make sure that their proposed alterations do not significantly add to or detract from the content of the respective writings.”

C. Considerations

  • 1. Synod Coaldale 1977 decided with respect to Bible quotations that the Committee shall “submit a correct and up-to-date translation of all quota­tions from Scripture contained in our Liturgical Forms” (Acts, Article 60, Recommendation 3, b).
  • Synod Smithville decided with respect to the quotations, “To use the Revised Standard Version for the Scripture quotations in the linguistic modernization of the Creeds and the Liturgical Forms as much as possi­ble” (Acts 1980, Article 111, C, 2, a).
  • 2. a) The Church at Barrhead (Agenda VIII, B, 22) remarks that “the Lord Jesus gave this (the Lord’s) prayer as a model, to teach how to pray, but not to use it in its entirety as an addition to our prayer which al­ ready deals at length with the particular occasion.”
    • b) Although the Lord’s Prayer has long been added as a conclusion of the prayers, this addition is not in itself necessary.
    • c) The Lord’s Prayer, using the plural (our-us) is quite well suited to be prayed “in unison.”
  • 3. The use of the Apostles’ Creed in general in the worship services has as such nothing to do with the Revision of the Liturgical Forms (except in the Forms for the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper). The manner in which the Creed is used in the worship services is not subject to Synodical regula­tion but is in the freedom of the churches.
  • 4. Since the Liturgical Forms have been completely revised by the Commit­ tee, it is possible for Synod, having taken into account the remarks made by the churches, to give tentative approval to these forms for provisional use in the Churches.
  • These forms can be published either separately or together with the Revised Psalm and Hymn sections of the Book of Praise (if adopted by Synod) but should be made available to the churches as soon as possible in 1981.
  • 5. It is necessary that the Liturgical Forms be checked on language and style by a language sub-committee before publication and presentation to the churches, but it is not necessary that Synod itself appoint such a sub-committee.
  • To ensure consistency in style in the Book of Praise, the final draft of the forms approved by Synod should be submitted to the same panel of “language experts” to be appointed by the Committee for the Translation and Revision of the Heidelberg Catechism (See Acts, Synod Smithville, Article 60. Recommendation D, 2, b).
  • 6. It is in accordance with the adopted rules for correspondence (sub a and c) that the sister-churches abroad are informed concerning the revision of the Liturgical Forms.

D. Recommendations

Synod decide:

  • 1. To thank the Committee on Translation and Revision of the Confessional and Liturgical Forms for the work done on the revision of the Liturgical Forms.
    • ADOPTED
  • 2. To leave the use of the Lord’s Prayer in the Liturgical Forms (and the manner in which this prayer is used) in the freedom of the Churches.
    • ADOPTED
  • 3. a) To give tentative approval to the text of the Liturgical Forms, after having taken into account the remarks made by the churches and the recommendations of the advisory committee. ADOPTED
    • b) To request the Committee on Translation and Revision of the Confes­sional and Liturgical Forms to submit this approved text for language correction to the sub-committee appointed for that purpose.
    • ADOPTED
  • 4. To charge the Committee to have the adopted and linguistically corrected Liturgical Forms published either separately or with the adopted Psalms and Hymns sections of the Book of Praise as soon as possible in 1981 for provisional use in the churches.
    • ADOPTED
  • To charge the Committee to provide the Deputies for Correspond­ence with sister-churches abroad with ample copies to fulfil their mandate in this respect.
    • ADOPTED
  • The following motion, duly seconded, is discussed:
    • “To replace Consideration 2, c, with ‘There is no need to follow the suggestion of the Committee: “To leave it in the freedom of the Churches to pray the Lord’s Prayer in unison”,’ and to leave out in Recommendation 2 that which is between the brackets.”
    • DEFEATED
Print page