Date

5-22-2024

Department

School of Music

Degree

Doctor of Worship Studies (DWS)

Chair

Hanna Byrd

Keywords

Psalm Singing, Canadian Reformed, Congregants, Worship

Disciplines

Liturgy and Worship | Music

Abstract

The Canadian Reformed Churches1 have a rich history of Psalm Singing, which originated in the 16th-century Reformation, continuing the early church and biblical tradition. Their first Synod in 1954 prioritized singing psalms, initiating the development of an English Psalter containing all 150 Psalms.2 After almost seventy-five years, Psalm Singing characterizes worship in over seventy congregations and church plants in Canada and the USA. Despite this tradition and culture of singing psalms in multigenerational worship, General Synods of the Canadian Reformed Churches have received continuous requests to add more hymns or other songs in the past twenty-five years. The arguments tend to change with every Synod, leaving uncertainty about the congregants’ motivations. Because church leaders submit these requests, the considerations of congregants are unknown. Besides understanding the motivations for song selection, it is essential to consider the relationship between song and theology because changes in the song selection may affect the church’s theology in the future. Psalm Singing in other Reformed church federations faded while their theology changed, which raises the question whether the Canadian Reformed Churches might follow this trend. This qualitative case study explores the theological and generational factors contributing to the requests to add more songs by surveying congregants’ understanding of the Psalm Singing tradition and its theological background.

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