RCNZ Psalter Hymnal: Start

Here we present a work in progress by a committee appointed by the 2002 Synod of the Reformed Churches of New Zealand. The committee's mandate is to:

Select poetic Psalm versions faithful to Scripture.
Select hymns in significant quantity for the various preferences in our churches.
Solicit contributions from a wide cross-section of our membership.

(full mandate and the
Committee Reports to Synods 2005 and 2008)

Progress

New! Check out this new article on biblical songs showing how they are satisfying both emotionally and doctrinally.^[credits]

In October 2008, we saw the arrival of the provisional printing of the psalter: Sing to the Lord (provisional) and it has been well-received with orders surpassing 2000 copies.

The committee has now embarked on the second stage of this project, the selection of hymns for the final hymnal. As we complete our proof reading, these will become available here on the public website.

If you are interested in the name of the hymnal, check out this little bit of history.

Features

The Synod plans to publish this as a book, and has adopted this statement of principle for the purpose. To help enhance our appreciation of the Psalms, these are the features of the Psalms Section:

Number the songs by Psalm number: 1a, 1b, 2a, ...
Choose words which follow Scripture more closely, while maintaining the poetry.
Use up-to-date language in most selections.
Retain the good tunes from our current hymnal and replace the poor ones.
Choose one main tune that covers the whole Psalm, with a summary psalm or alternate tune where appropriate.
Most of these changes help with memorising Scripture (click).

In the Hymns section we plan to:

Retain good and well-loved hymns and replace the poor hymns.
Add hymns according to the variety of preferences in our churches (we need your help).
Update language, but only where necessary for meaning.

Contacts

Here is the committee membership and contact list.