Synod 2007 approved plans for a new hymnal, scheduled to hit the pews in 2013.
The new hymnal will be designed for use by both Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed churches. Seventy-two percent of Christian Reformed Churches have the 1987 gray Psalter Hymnal in the pews at present.
Synod heard that the new hymnal will contain creeds and liturgies that the RCA and CRC have in common. Rev. Joyce Borger noted after the session, however, that the Heidelberg Catechism would not be included because the two denominations use different versions.
Borger, who is worship editor for Faith Alive Christian Resources, observed that word changes made to well-known songs will be “more conservative than they may have been in the past.”
The 2013 hymnal will continue the CRC’s tradition of including all 150 psalms, but they will be ordered by subject rather than psalm number.
“We have a strong commitment to maintaining the tradition of psalm singing in churches,” said Rev. Peter Hoytema, reporter for the committee that addressed the hymnal publication.
About the Author
Roxanne VanFarowe is a freelance writer who claims both Canadian and American citizenship and grew up in the Christian Reformed Church. She is a member of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina.
