# PCA recommendation to congregations regarding the Psalms



## crhoades (Jan 13, 2006)

From the subcommittee position paper
Full Text Here
(not necessarily a post to debate EP but hopefully encourage brothers and sisters on the board who are in PCA churches who do not sing at least 1 Psalm every week)

RECOMMENDATIONS

Therefore we urge the adoption of the following recommendations: 

1. That the General Assembly reaffirm that Psalm-singing in the worship of God is a Gospel ordinance, is commended by the Westminster Confession, and is an historic practice of Reformed churches. 

2. That congregations be encouraged to sing at least one Psalm at each of their services. 

3. That congregations be encouraged to identify Psalm-settings as Psalms, when they are sung. 

4. That hymnal-using congregations be encouraged to use the Psalm-rich Trinity Hymnal (since it averages 10 times the number of Psalms as the comparable Evangelical hymnals). 

5. That a program of re-education be undertaken by the CE&P Committee including: 

a. Articles in the Messenger that explore such things as the history and value of Psalm singing. 

b. Providing instruction in its educational material on the Scriptural mandate and historic precedent for Psalm-singing in the worship of God, and many ways in which the person, sufferings, resurrection, and ongoing Messianic work of Christ are set forth in the Psalms. 

c. Produce worship bulletin inserts which feature two Psalm settings as found in the Trinity Hymnal, thereby promoting both the hymnal and Psalm-singing. 

6. Form an ad hoc committee of the CE&P to complete the discussion with the RPCNA to the end that a simplified edition of The Book of Psalms for Singing might be produced with this format: 

- a complete Psalter
- words only (normally one tune and version per Psalm)
- a slender, inexpensive hymnal supplement 


7. The funding be private, details to be worked out by the CE&P Committee in discussions with the RPCNA's Crown and Covenant Publications. 

8. That Christian Education and Publication contact other Reformed denominations informing them of the above recommendations and of the availability in the future of the adapted edition of The Book of Psalms for Singing with a view to encouraging the use of this metrical version of the Psalms in those Presbyterian and Reformed Churches in America which do not currently use a denominational Psalter.


----------



## ChristopherPaul (Jan 13, 2006)

That is so funny. I saw your link to the  PCA position papers (and bookmarked it, thank you), and came to one position I wanted to print out and read more closely. It was this same article on Psalm singing that you just thought appropriate to post.

In the very near future, I will be presenting the case to my church´s session to begin singing Psalms in the worship service. This helps greatly.


----------



## crhoades (Jan 13, 2006)

> _Originally posted by ChristopherPaul_
> That is so funny. I saw your link to the  PCA position papers (and bookmarked it, thank you), and came to one position I wanted to print out and read more closely. It was this same article on Psalm singing that you just thought appropriate to post.
> 
> In the very near future, I will be presenting the case to my church´s session to begin singing Psalms in the worship service. This helps greatly.



That's awesome and good to hear. Although my church isn't EP, there hasn't been a Sunday since its inception that at least 1 Psalm hasn't been sung. I do think this pos. paper is a good way to begin humbly asking for change from within the PCA churches.


----------



## JohnV (Jan 13, 2006)

> 2. That congregations be encouraged to sing at least one Psalm at each of their services.


I think they shouldn't just recommend "at least one Psalm", but should recommend that the Psalms are most appropriate and necessary at certain parts of the service. A certain kind of hymn ( from the Psalms ), an anthem ( again from the Psalms ), or a supplication ( also from the Psalms ) is part of the service, and therefore I don't think it inappropriate at all to indicate that, for example after the reading of the Law, a Psalm sung is the normal congregational response. 

Its just that recommending "a Psalm" in general seems to impose a suffrage instead of respecting the Psalms.


----------



## crhoades (Jan 13, 2006)

> _Originally posted by JohnV_
> 
> 
> > 2. That congregations be encouraged to sing at least one Psalm at each of their services.
> ...



Joshua: noted not debating but rather clarifying (I hope) the intentions in these recommendations

John,

I may be off base but the way that I interpretted it was that in rec. 1 it was called a gospel ordinance:

orÂ·diÂ·nance
n. 
An authoritative command or order. 
A custom or practice established by long usage. 
A Christian rite, especially the Eucharist. 
A statute or regulation, especially one enacted by a city government. 

I took that it was an obligation to be done and the second recommendation was stating at least one inferring that more would be acceptable. 

I totally understand where you're coming from though. It could've been worded better, I think.

Can anyone tell me if the position papers are binding juridically on pca churches?


----------

