Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, and John Calvin all prepared worship forms for use in the congregations.
Liturgical forms were in general use in Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Holland, England, and Scotland.
The Puritans’ struggle for liberty put them in direct conflict with those who had power to legislate the content of the service book and to require its use.
As a result, both the English Puritans and the Scots were forced into a more radical liturgical position than that of the reform on the continent, which did not have to face such issues.
It was in this context that the Westminster Directory for the Publique Worship of God, devoid of liturgical text, was created in 1644, under the influence of Puritans and separatists.
Opposition to service books continued even though the Puritans were no longer engaged in a struggle for liberty.
In keeping with their Puritan legacy, Presbyterians who settled in the New World chose to be served by a directory for worship rather than a service book.
Toward the end of the century, demand for such resources prompted the publishing house of the northern Presbyterians to produce collections of liturgical forms.
In 1894 a directory for worship was adopted for use in the southern church that contained liturgical formulas, and liturgies for marriages and funerals were appended to it.
Nine years later, the northern General Assembly was ready to respond positively to overtures calling for a book of services.
In 1903, in response to the growing expression of a need for worship forms, the northern General Assembly approved overtures calling for the preparation of a book of services.
Prayers and texts were written for festivals and seasons of the liturgical year, which at the time of publication was not universally accepted in the Presbytery.
Finally, the book included an extensive selection from Psalms and Canticles; the latter's titles were given in Latin (Magnificat; Nunc Dimittis, Te Deum laudamus etc.
Responding to popular demand, the General Assembly appointed a 1929 committee chaired by Van Dyke to revise the Book of Common Worship.
During the course of the committee's work, Van Dyke addressed the critics of the 1906 edition: "We can see no force in the thoughtless opposition of such a book which is represented by the rather irreverent phrase, 'canned prayers.'
The Bible and the service books of Calvin, Knox and the other reformers, all contain written forms of prayer.
Several years later, the northern General Assembly established a permanent committee to monitor the liturgical needs of the church and to periodically propose revisions of the Book of Common Worship.
Those who prepared this book had the advantage of increasing ecumenical liturgical scholarship and of more knowledge about the worship of the Reformers.
The reading of scripture in worship was given emphasis by the addition of a complete two-year lectionary from the Church of Scotland's Book of Common Order, published in 1940.
The liturgical year also received increased emphasis, with prayers included from the service books of other churches.
The southern Presbyterians joined with the northern church to produce the new service book but decided to prepare their own directory.
It departed from Elizabethan English and began the search for a suitable contemporary style of language appropriate for the worship of God.
It set forth with clarity that the norm of Christian worship on the Lord's Day is a service of the Word and Sacrament.
The committee therefore modified the Roman lectionary for use by Presbyterians and included it in the final publication of The Worshipbook.
Following Vatican Council II there was a great resurgence of liturgical reform that continues unabated in virtually every branch of the church.
From fifty to one hundred congregations were invited to review testing drafts of each of these resources prior to its approval for publication.
These responses, based on their use, were carefully considered and were a valuable aid in revising the liturgical texts for inclusion in this book.
The decision was made to do as other churches have done and produce a book of occasional services separate from the Book of Common Worship, which would include additional liturgical resources needed by the church, such as ordinations, installations, dedications, and other occasional services, and liturgies needed by presbyteries to fulfill their responsibilities.
In 1999, the Geneva Press published for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) a liturgical resource supplementing the 1993 Book of Common Worship, containing multiple services for ordination and installation, commissioning, dedications, marking transitions in congregations and governing bodies, together with additional prayers for various occasions.