The history of Presbyterian Worship in New Zealand was obviously a topic that appealed to a larger then normal group of people at last night’s Presbyterian Research Network Meeting.  Fifty-three people were offered a profound and challenging paper by the V. Rev. Dr. Graham Redding as he set our early colonial worship patterns in the context of the Reformation and Church of Scotland history. He then explored worship trends in NZ Presbyterianism  to the modern era.  This work in progress is the first attempt by any within the Presbyterian Church to  explore and map the contours  of this fascinating topic at such depth. 

Why, he asks,  have Presbyterians in this country never had a service book like the Anglicans? Is there anything distinctive about worship in a Presbyterian church? Does it have any underlying convictions? In what ways has it evolved over the years? What are its major antecedents? What have been its main liturgical and theological influences? Which personalities have played a key role in its development?   Read more…

: