Liturgy, or order of worship, is important in the RCA. Therefore, the RCA has a fixed Liturgy and other liturgies.
The fixed Liturgy applies primarily to the sacraments, and it also provides flexibility for local consistories to guide the worship of their congregations using orders of worship that have been generated for occasional or local use. The Liturgy is our “common prayer”: it declares what the church has agreed to say in the same way as it gathers for worship.
Official Liturgy
The Liturgy consists of the rites (and the words used to perform those rites) that have been approved by the whole church. They have been proposed to the General Synod, approved by the General Synod, sent to the classes for approval, received the support of at least two-thirds of the classes, and declared constitutional by another General Synod.
Recommended liturgies
The number of recommended liturgies are not part of the Constitution of the RCA, but they are recommended for use throughout the RCA.
