Responsive Reading: Edit history

Definition and Meaning

A responsive reading is a passage of Scripture arranged so that the leader and the congregation can read it in turn during worship. Because the passages are drawn mostly from the Book of Psalms, the practice is closely associated with the alternate reading of the Psalms. Responsive reading expresses the idea that the congregation does not merely listen but takes part in worship by reading the Word aloud.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament contains several scenes in which the people respond to a leader's declaration. In Deuteronomy 27:14-26, the people answer "Amen" each time the Levites proclaim the law. In Nehemiah 8:6, when Ezra reads from the book of the law and blesses God, the people answer, "Amen, Amen." In Psalm 136, the refrain "for his mercy endureth for ever" is repeated after every verse. For this reason, some hold that the Psalms were originally sung antiphonally.

The tradition of two groups alternately singing or reading the Psalms continued in the worship of the early church and in monastic worship. Among Protestants, the practice of printing responsive reading texts in hymnals spread through British and American churches around the nineteenth century. The responsive readings used in Korean churches are understood to have been inherited from this practice through missionaries.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, responsive readings (gyodokmun) are also called seongsi gyodok, "the alternate reading of sacred poems," reflecting their source in the Psalms. They are commonly printed, with numbers, in the back of the hymnal. The widely used Korean 21st Century Hymnal (2006) contains more than one hundred responsive readings. Most are taken from the Psalms, but the collection also includes passages suited to the seasons of the liturgical calendar or to particular themes. The texts follow the New Korean Revised Version of the Bible adopted by that hymnal.

In Lord's Day worship, the responsive reading is usually placed near the beginning of the service, between a hymn and the confession of faith (the Apostles' Creed). It proceeds as follows:

• The leader reads one verse, and the congregation reads the next.
• The congregation's portions are often set in boldface type.
• The final verse is read by everyone together.
• The number of the responsive reading is printed in the church bulletin or displayed on a screen.

Practice among Korean denominations varies:

• Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches: Many congregations use the responsive readings in the common hymnal. Whether a responsive reading is included, and where it is placed in the order of worship, depends on the individual congregation or the denomination's book of worship.
• Anglican Church of Korea: In accordance with its own prayer book, the responsive reading or antiphonal singing (singing in alternation) of the Psalms is an established part of the liturgy.
• Open worship or praise team–led services: The responsive reading is sometimes omitted or replaced by a reading of text displayed on a screen.