Consultation on Common Texts

Consultation on Common Texts
Name	Consultation on Common Texts
Formation	20th century
Type	Ecumenical liturgical committee
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International
Leader title	Chair
Affiliations	National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, Episcopal Church

Consultation on Common Texts is an ecumenical committee established to produce shared liturgical resources for use across denominational boundaries. It brings together representatives from major Christian bodies to coordinate on lectionaries, collects, and rites, seeking common language for worship used by churches, seminaries, and publishing houses. The Consultation has interacted with influential institutions and figures in liturgical renewal and has affected worship practice in denominations such as the Episcopal Church (United States), United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

History

The group emerged in the milieu of mid-20th-century liturgical renewal alongside movements represented by Liturgical Movement, Vatican II, and the World Council of Churches; early participants included scholars associated with Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary. Its formation paralleled ecumenical initiatives like the National Council of Churches consultations and dialogues with bodies such as the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church. Over successive decades the Consultation worked amid controversies involving publications from Oxford University Press, Harpers, and denominational publishing houses, adapting to debates shaped by figures linked to Paul Tillich, Hans Küng, and John A.T. Robinson.

Purpose and Scope

The Consultation’s remit was to create texts for common use in liturgy: lectionaries, prayer books, and responsive readings intended for adoption by multiple communions. It sought harmonization comparable to earlier agreements exemplified by the Revised Standard Version efforts and ecumenical projects associated with the International Consultation on English Texts. The scope extended to relations with academic institutions like Harvard Divinity School and ecumenical organizations including the World Methodist Council and the Lutheran World Federation, targeting congregational use, seminary curricula, and hymnody commissions connected to Yale University Press and Oxford University Press.

Organization and Membership

Structured as a committee drawing delegates from denominational agencies, seminaries, and ecclesiastical councils, the Consultation typically included representatives from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Roman Catholic Church in the United States, and independent liturgical scholars. Leadership rotated among chairs who were often faculty at institutions such as Duke Divinity School, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, and St. John’s University. Member organizations included ecumenical networks like the National Council of Churches in Christ, theological publishers such as Augsburg Fortress, and scholarly societies like the Society for Liturgical Study.

Text Selection and Editorial Processes

Selection procedures combined scholarly exegesis, pastoral consultation, and comparative liturgical analysis drawing on manuscripts and lectionary traditions from Book of Common Prayer, Roman Missal, and synodal texts from the Church of England. Editorial committees worked with translators, biblical scholars from institutions like Princeton Theological Seminary and Duke University, and liturgists influenced by publications from Cambridge University Press. Drafts underwent rounds of review with denominational bodies such as the General Convention of the Episcopal Church and synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with public hearings held in theological centers including Fuller Theological Seminary and McCormick Theological Seminary.

Major Editions and Publications

Notable outputs included revised lectionaries and common prayer supplements that were widely disseminated by publishers such as Oxford University Press and Augsburg Fortress Press. Editions associated with the Consultation influenced the development of resources like the Revised Common Lectionary and companion volumes used by Episcopal Church (United States), United Methodist Church, and Presbyterian Church (USA). Companion commentaries and study guides were produced in partnership with academic presses including Liturgical Press and Cambridge University Press, and were used in curricula at seminaries such as Princeton Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School.

Reception and Influence

The Consultation’s texts achieved significant uptake in liturgical planning, ecumenical worship services, and academic coursework, shaping practices in parish life across denominations linked to the Anglican Communion, Lutheran World Federation, and the World Methodist Council. Its work entered debates in public fora alongside contributions from scholars like N.T. Wright and Beverly Gaventa, and influenced hymnody committees and ecumenical initiatives coordinated by organizations such as the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics argued that common texts diluted distinctive traditions of bodies like the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and raised concerns about ecumenical compromise similar to disputes seen in dialogues involving Vatican II reforms and Anglican–Roman Catholic discussions. Debates also touched on translation philosophy and textual fidelity, echoing controversies surrounding the Revised Standard Version and translation committees at American Bible Society and British and Foreign Bible Society. Some denominational councils resisted adoption, citing theological and pastoral objections voiced in synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and conventions of the Episcopal Church (United States).

Category:Liturgical committees