Service Designer contains 2 lectionaries: the Revised Common Lectionary and the Common Lectionary.
What are Lectionaries?
Lectionaries are a systematic series of 4 scripture readings for each Sunday in the church year. Generally, there is an Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament epistle reading, and a Gospel reading. The readings are usually thematically unified, which aids in unifying service themes.Who uses Lectionaries?
They have been used for many years by liturgical churches, such as Lutherans, Episcopalians, Catholics, etc., but in more recent years have been adopted by non-liturgical churches, particularly during the seasons from Advent through Easter.The Revised Common Lectionary
In 1992, the Consultation on Common Texts, an ecumenical group of scholars, adopted and standardized the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary. This has been included in its entirety in Service Designer. The scriptures themselves (NIV translation) are included in addition to the scripture references.The Revised Common Lectionary in Service Designer also gives worship song and hymn suggestions for most lectionary readings. The user may also cross-reference anthems with scripture readings using the Lectionary Anthem Calendar. Suggested anthems are given, but the user may input their own libraries.
A second lectionary, the Common Lectionary, is also included with Service Designer. This lectionary's scripture readings and references are open to user editing for churches which may follow their own denomination's lectionary.
The complete NIV® Bible is also included as a worship planning resource in Service Designer. It is fully searchable, and the user may cut and paste from this into bulletins or projection software such as PowerPoint.
