Resources and publications
Ideas and inspiration
Subscribe to Call to Worship: Liturgy, Music, Preaching, and the Arts. Find ideas and inspiration for worship, musical selections and prayers based on the Scriptures of the Revised Common Lectionary, and insightful articles on liturgical theology and practice.
Find Biblical and Confessional Resources for Worship. This set of resources, developed at the request of the 213th General Assembly (2001), draws new liturgical texts from the Scriptures and the Book of Confessions.
Read Worshiping the Triune God, a 2010 statement of the World Communion of Reformed Churches that seeks to identify primary principles for worship through a set of succinct, evocative beatitudes and wisdom sayings.
Read tributes to Harold Daniels (1927-2015) and the 1993 Book of Common Worship from Reformed Liturgy & Music and Call to Worship.
Planning Worship
Are you thinking of starting a new worship service? Or changing your current service? Or perhaps you're a new worshiping community that needs help structuring a worship service. If so, you'll need to start by having a conversation about what constitutes good worship and by what theological norms you make that judgment. Then you can start planning particular services.
Read "Presbyterian Worship Beyond the Local Congregation" (2002), a guide for planning worship at presbytery and other church council meetings.
Sacraments
Learn about Invitation to Christ, the 2006 sacrament study of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the simple practices that are revitalizing sacramental life in our denomination.
Read "These Living Waters"and "This Bread of Life," reports from Catholic / Reformed dialogues on the Sacraments.
See the sacraments page or materials on our Teaching Worship page.
Interfaith Worship
Read “Respectful Presence,” guidelines for interfaith prayer and celebration, and the accompanying study guide.
Flags in Church Sanctuaries
Learn about the "Use of Flags in Church Sanctuaries."
Solemn Assemblies
A solemn assembly is a special gathering of God’s people to confess their sin and need of Christ’s grace in order that they might receive power from on high to be God’s faithful people in ministry to the world. Learn more about solemn assemblies.
Worship Education Materials
Teaching worship is a way to pass on the faith as well as help people enter more fully into the transformative presence of God.
Worship Resources in Times of Disaster
In times of disaster, the church is called to support the people of the world with our prayers, asking God to save them, shelter them from danger, and sustain them in the work of recovery.
Service of Pastoral Care on the Destruction of a Home
This is a service of pastoral care for families, couples, or individuals who have lost a home to earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, or other disaster. It should be adapted according to specific needs and local circumstances.
Worship Materials for Visiting Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Mission Partners
Hymns, litanies, prayers and blessing for use in mission events.
