churchservicesociety.org | fostering an interest in christian liturgy

St Andrews Cathedral © air - Fotolia.com

engage with the theology of worship as indispensible for the evaluation and interpretation of liturgies

Old St Paul's, Edinburgh, prayer space by Soul Marks, © Carol Marples

examine fresh patterns of worship and explore the creation and enhancement of the spaces in which we gather

foster interest in the history of liturgy

Choir from Scottish African Churches at 'Edinburgh 2010', © Gary Doak

raise awareness of liturgical development in the world Church

enable leaders and people together to participate more deeply in the mystery of faith through movement, symbol, ritual and sacrament.

At a time when worship in Presbyterian Scotland was often rambling and verbose, the Society's scholarly editions of earlier worship books helped restore classic patterns and lapsed Reformation forms. Its annual journal, established in 1928, encouraged the continuing study of liturgy and provided a forum for those who compiled worship resources and those who led and participated in worship Sunday by Sunday.

In the present day the Society, now ecumenical and with members in several countries, continues to engage with contemporary worship, studying, reflecting, evaluating and proposing.

News and Events

The annual Record will be published early in December. It contains articles on Virtual Worship, including a report of an innovative approach from Dunkeld Cathedral; a new pilot on training people to take funerals; the use of art in worship; an account of a novel approach to appreciating the psalms, from St Andrews; a new liturgy for a same-sex marriage; a proposal for the revival of the Agape; an update on the ‘Faith and Order’ section of the World Council of Churches – along with book reviews and a reminder as to how we were talking about worship in 1928.

Study Day 2023, which will probably be late February, takes as its theme the growing phenomenon of Pilgrimage, dropped by the Reformed churches, but experiencing a home-coming in the secularized world of the twenty-first century. Further details will be posted here as they emerge.

The Annual Meeting takes place as usual during the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, this year on Tuesday 21^st May. This will be the occasion for the Presidential Address from the retiring President, the Revd John L Bell DUniv FRSCM. There is usually a dinner to follow.

Simple hymn arrangements

Easy versions to download and play

Learning to improvise

A course for beginners by Brigitte Harris

Facsimiles of the Society's journals from 1928. Search the summaries and access the articles.

The Wode Psalter

Vocal scores of the complete contents of the sixteenth century Wode Psalter, assembled by researchers at Edinburgh University, together with MP3 sound files, for free local use.

Resources for Worship

Chapel at Scottish Churches House, Dunblane

Orders of worship and prayers

Singing the Reformation 2016

Psalms service recreation in the style of 1600

Congregational praise in Reformation Scotland recorded in St Mary's Haddington, with MP3 files and new SATB and Unison Kirk Part PDF scores for free download, reproduction and use.