TheCovenant Renewal Service, or simply called theCovenant Service,[1] was adapted byJohn Wesley, the founder ofMethodism, for the purpose of the renewal of the Christian believer'scovenant withGod. Wesley'sDirections for Renewing Our Covenant with God, first published in 1780, contains his instructions for a covenant service adapted from the writings ofRichard Alleine and intended for use in Methodist worship as "a means of increasing serious religion."[2] The first such service was held on 11 August 1755, in London.
Congregations of some Methodist connexions (notably in theUnited Methodist Church,Free Methodist Church andPilgrim Holiness Church in the United States) often use the Covenant Renewal liturgy for thewatchnight service of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.[3] In theMethodist Church in Britain the custom is for the service to be held on the first Sunday of the New Year when apresbyter is available (since the Covenant service order includesHoly Communion, which according to British Methodist discipline cannot normally be presided over by alocal preacher). In both cases the purpose is to renew one's commitment toChrist and theChurch at the start of the year.[4] It includes hymns, prayers—centred on theCovenant Prayer—scripture lessons, asermon, and Holy Communion.[5]
The covenant prayer and service are recognised as one of the most distinctive contributions of Methodism to theliturgy of Protestantism in general, and they are also used from time to time by other Christian denominations.[citation needed]
In 1663 Richard Alleine, aPuritan, publishedVindiciae Pietatis: or, A Vindication of Godliness in the Greater Strictness and Spirituality of It. In 1753, it was again published inJohn Wesley'sA Christian Library.[6]
In hisShort history of the people called Methodists,[7] Wesley describes the first covenant service; a similar account is to be found in hisJournal of the time.[8] He says the first service was held on Monday 11 August 1755, at the French church atSpitalfields in London, with 1800 people present. Wesley reports that he "recited the tenor of the covenant proposed, in the words of that blessed man, Richard Alleine".[9] The original words are lost, but are thought to be reflected in theDirections for Renewing our Covenant with God in 1780.[10] This later text, known in modified form as the Wesley Covenant Prayer, remained in use—linked with Holy Communion and observed on the first Sunday of the New Year—among British Methodists until 1936.[11]
The origins of the covenant prayer have been the subject of some scholarly discussion. While Wesley attributes its "tenor" to Alleine, influences of GermanPietism have also been claimed.[12][verification needed]
Services using the covenant prayer have been included in most Methodist books of liturgy since,[when?] though none was included inThe Sunday Service of the Methodists; With Other Occasional Services book that Wesley published in 1784 for the use of his followers inAmerica. Perhaps for this reason, while the Covenant service has been an invariable part of the liturgy of theBritish Methodist Church and its daughter churches in theCommonwealth, its use is less widespread in American Methodist denominations. Referring to theUnited Methodist Church, Charles R. Hohenstein notes that "covenant services are seldom encountered these days",[13] though theologianLeonard Sweet notes that certain Methodist connexions such as theFree Methodist Church andPilgrim Holiness Church have maintained the tradition of covenant renewal services.[3]
Although Wesley's early covenant services were not held at any particular time of year, in British Methodism the custom soon developed of holding Covenant services near the beginning of the New Year, nowadays often on the first Sunday of the year.[1] This was perhaps under the influence of the Methodist tradition of holdingwatchnight services onNew Year's Eve, which are held to welcome the coming year with the blessing of God rather than with "drunken revelry".[14]
In the 1920s, BritishWesleyan Methodist minister George B. Robson expanded the form of the Covenant Service by replacing most of the exhortation with prayers of adoration, thanksgiving and confession.[10] Robson's Covenant Service was revised and officially authorised for use in theBook of Offices (1936). Further revisions, strengthening the link with Communion andintercession for the wider church and the world, appeared in theMethodist Service Book (1975) andMethodist Worship Book (1999).
Although the form of the covenant prayer and service have been simplified, important elements of them are still retained from Wesley'sDirections. They include many of the words both of the bidding that traditionally precedes the prayer, and the prayer itself. The bidding traditionally includes phrasing such as:
In 2012, a new worship resource titledWorship and Song was published byAbingdon Press.Worship and Song is a collection of 190 songs from around the world, as well as prayers and other liturgical resources. It contains a musical version of Wesley's prayer; the music was composed by ministers Adam F. Seate and Jay D. Locklear.[15]
(as used in theBook of Offices of the British Methodist Church, 1936).
(as used in theMethodist Worship Book, 1999)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)In 1740, Wesley started watch-night services for the coal miners of the Kingswood area, offering this nocturnal worship as a godly alternative to spending their evenings in ale-houses. The watch-night services consisted of singing, praying, exhorting, and preaching for a number of hours. Wesley meant to establish it as a monthly practice, always at full moon to keep the meeting well lit. In America, this service often supplanted times of traditional drunken revelry, like New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve.