Contextualisation, unity and the future
As churches in Papua New Guinea grew and changed through the twentieth century, the need for worship resources that could be used across linguistic and denominational boundaries became increasingly apparent. The challenge was not to produce a single liturgy acceptable to all churches, since there existed genuine theological differences concerning ministry, sacraments and ecclesial authority.
Instead, the challenge was to provide materials that would enable Christians in diverse locations to pray, sing and learn together whenever they were able to engage in common worship. Denominations, schools, theological colleges, ecumenical gatherings, national celebrations and regional conferences all required resources capable of serving a diverse Christian community while respecting denominational distinctives.
Buk Song Bilong Lotu
A significant and formative contribution to this process was the compilation and publication of the printed worship resources known as Buk Song Bilong Lotu (translated as “Song Book for Worship”). Rather than referring to a single universally adopted hymnal, the title has been associated with a number of Tok Pisin hymn collections and song resources published over several decades, sometimes in conjunction with Tok Pisin editions of the Scriptures. Buk Song Bilong Lotu circulated widely, particularly within Protestant churches, and helped establish a substantial body of hymns and worship songs that could be sung beyond the boundaries of any one language community.
Alongside translations of well-known European hymns, the hymn book included several locally composed songs that reflected the experience, imagery and aspirations of Papua New Guinean Christians. Further, smaller collections titled Liklik Song and Baibel Song were added to some editions, or complemented the main publication as separate additions to the main collection. These reflected the congregational trend, from the early 1980s on, of favouring short contemporary songs rather than classic hymns in corporate worship in its various expressions. Although no single collection achieved universal acceptance, these publications contributed significantly to the emergence of a shared repertoire for many congregations and ecumenical gatherings.
The development of common worship resources also depended upon institutions committed to Christian publishing and literacy. Christian Books Melanesia (CBM), established in the late 1960s, became one of the country’s most influential Christian publishing organisations. Its ministry extended well beyond bookselling. Through the publication and distribution of Bibles, Christian literature, educational resources and materials for churches and schools, together with literacy programmes and training initiatives, CBM has helped strengthen the intellectual and devotional life of PNG churches.
Equally important has been its encouragement of Papua New Guinean authors, translators, editors and educators. By supporting indigenous voices, CBM has enabled Christian reflection increasingly to emerge from the lived experience of Papua New Guinea rather than relying exclusively upon imported literature. In this respect, publishing has become an important companion to preaching and worship, providing congregations with resources for ongoing discipleship.
Orality and translation
An important feature of Christian worship in Papua New Guinea is its enduring oral character. While literacy has expanded significantly and printed worship resources have played a vital role, faith continues to be transmitted primarily through listening, speaking, singing and communal participation. Sermons, testimonies, Scripture recitation, storytelling, choral singing and dramatic presentations frequently communicate theological truth more effectively than written texts alone.
In many communities, hymns and biblical passages are memorised and passed from generation to generation, allowing the gospel to be internalised through repetition and performance. This oral tradition also helps explain the remarkable vitality of congregational singing and choir ministry throughout the country. Rather than representing a deficiency to be overcome, oral communication reflects deep Melanesian cultural patterns in which knowledge is shared through relationships, memory and communal participation.
The continued interaction between oral and written forms of communication has therefore become one of the distinctive strengths of Christian worship in Papua New Guinea, enabling the biblical message to be both faithfully preserved and naturally embodied within local communities.
The work of the Bible Society in Papua New Guinea, together with SIL International, Wycliffe Bible Translators and numerous denominational translation programmes, has reinforced this development. Their achievements, however, should never be understood simply as the work of external organisations. Every successful translation has depended upon the knowledge, patience and theological insight of Papua New Guinean translators, pastors, language advisers and community leaders.
Contextual challenges
Translation committees have wrestled with the challenge of communicating biblical concepts accurately while respecting the structures, metaphors and idioms of local languages. Such work has enabled congregations to encounter the Scriptures in forms that resonate deeply with local patterns of thought and speech. Worship has consequently become not merely multilingual but genuinely rooted in the astonishing linguistic diversity of the nation.
Music has occupied a particularly significant place within this process of contextualisation. Congregational singing has long been central to Christian worship throughout Papua New Guinea, whether expressed through traditional hymnody, choral music, revival songs or more recent praise and worship compositions. Choirs continue to play an important role in many churches, not only contributing musical leadership but also fostering Christian fellowship, theological learning and community service.
Local composers have increasingly drawn upon Melanesian rhythms, harmonies and poetic forms while remaining attentive to biblical themes and the doctrinal commitments of their respective churches. The result has been a musical tradition that is recognisably Christian while also unmistakably Papua New Guinean.
Ecumenical cooperation
The search for common worship has also been encouraged by ecumenical cooperation. The Papua New Guinea Council of Churches, whose origins lie in the Christian Council established during the late 1950s before its reconstitution in 1965, has provided an important framework for dialogue, public witness and cooperation among the major churches.
Through shared prayer, consultation and common engagement with national issues, the Council has demonstrated that churches need not resolve every theological difference before working together in areas of shared concern. Common worship has therefore usually emerged not through attempts to erase denominational distinctions but through careful respect for one another’s traditions combined with a shared commitment to the gospel and the common good.
This practical ecumenism has also been supported by institutions devoted to theological education and contextual reflection. The Melanesian Institute has encouraged sustained engagement with questions of culture, religion and Christian discipleship, while theological colleges across the country—including Martin Luther Seminary, Catholic seminaries and denominational colleges—have formed generations of ministers who understand both the inherited traditions of the Church and the realities of Melanesian society. Their graduates have contributed to preaching, worship, theological education and public leadership, ensuring that liturgical development remains connected to serious theological reflection rather than being driven solely by changing cultural fashions.
Within this broader context, contextual theology has increasingly shaped worship. Papua New Guinean theologians and church leaders have reflected upon biblical themes through the lenses of kinship, reciprocity, communal responsibility, stewardship of creation, reconciliation and the significance of land. Such reflection has not sought to replace historic Christian doctrine with local custom. Rather, it has explored how biblical truth may be understood more deeply when interpreted within Melanesian cultural experience. Worship has become one of the principal settings in which these theological insights are expressed.
Cultural change
Contextualisation requires discernment, and churches differ over the extent to which traditional cultural practices should be incorporated into Christian worship. Questions surrounding dance, ceremonial exchange, ancestral symbolism and customary ritual have sometimes generated vigorous debate. Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions have each developed their own criteria for evaluating such practices in the light of Scripture and theological conviction. Consequently, the history of worship in Papua New Guinea should not be portrayed as a simple movement from imported forms to complete cultural adaptation. It has instead been a continuing process of theological conversation in which churches have sought faithfully to discern what may be received, transformed or set aside.
The last half-century has also witnessed the growth of evangelical renewal, charismatic movements and Pentecostal churches. Contemporary music, extended periods of praise, spontaneous prayer, testimonies, healing ministries and renewed attention to the gifts of the Holy Spirit have become familiar features of many congregations. Historic churches have responded in different ways. Some have embraced these developments enthusiastically; others have incorporated selected elements while preserving more formal liturgical structures. The result has been a diverse but generally constructive interaction between inherited traditions and newer expressions of worship.
Rather than replacing older forms, contemporary worship has often existed alongside them, enriching the liturgical life of many congregations.
Technological innovation
Technological change has accelerated these developments. The transition from printed hymnbooks and duplicated service sheets to cassette recordings, radio broadcasting, compact discs, digital projection, smartphones and online media has transformed the production and distribution of worship resources. Churches now share music, sermons and educational materials across great distances with unprecedented speed.
Yet technology also presents fresh questions. International worship music, often produced within commercial contexts, can easily overshadow local musical traditions. Electronic media may encourage performance-oriented worship in which congregations become audiences rather than active participants. These developments call for thoughtful pastoral and theological reflection so that technological innovation serves the worshipping community rather than reshaping worship according to commercial expectations.
Key shapers of liturgy
The history of worship in Papua New Guinea has been shaped by many remarkable individuals. Johann Flierl established the foundations of Lutheran mission in north-eastern New Guinea through the patient development of congregations, schools and pastoral training. Christian Keysser became known for his vision of a “people’s church,” recognising that Christian communities mature most fully when the gospel is embodied within the social structures and communal life of local people rather than remaining dependent upon foreign missionaries. Keysser’s approach developed within German Lutheran missiology and has been critically assessed by later scholars.
In more recent decades, Bishop Jack Urame has represented the continuing leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea, exemplifying the responsibility of indigenous church leaders to relate confessional faith, public witness and pastoral ministry to the opportunities and challenges of contemporary society.
Among those who have contributed to the country’s musical life, Geoffrey Baskett deserves particular recognition. A teacher, educator, songwriter and communicator over many decades, Baskett became widely known through songs celebrating Papua New Guinea, its people and its future. While many of his best-known compositions belong more naturally to the sphere of national and educational song than to formal liturgy, his work illustrates the broader influence that Christian educators and musicians have exercised upon the country’s moral and cultural imagination. His compositions have encouraged gratitude, hope and national identity, demonstrating that music inspired by Christian conviction can contribute to public life as well as congregational worship.
Nevertheless, the history of worship cannot be told through prominent leaders alone. The most enduring contribution has almost certainly been made by countless unnamed Papua New Guinean Christians—pastors, evangelists, catechists, translators, hymn writers, composers, choir directors, literacy teachers, artists and lay worship leaders—whose ministries have shaped the devotional life of local congregations over generations.
Their work has enabled Christian faith to be expressed in the languages, melodies, artistic forms and patterns of community life that speak most naturally to their own people. In many respects, they have become the principal custodians of Papua New Guinea’s living liturgical tradition.
Bringing people together
Christian worship has done little to overcome social divisions within Papua New Guinea. Tribal conflict, political tensions, denominational rivalries, violence and social injustice remain continuing realities, and churches themselves have not been immune from these pressures. Yet common worship has often provided spaces in which Christians from different linguistic, regional and denominational backgrounds have recognised a shared identity grounded in their common confession of Jesus Christ. Shared prayer, Scripture, song and sacramental life have at times created opportunities for mutual understanding and reconciliation that might otherwise have been difficult to achieve.
The experience of Papua New Guinea also offers valuable insights for the wider Church. It demonstrates that authentic Christian unity does not require cultural uniformity, nor does fidelity to the historic faith depend upon preserving inherited European forms unchanged.
Instead, the churches of Papua New Guinea suggest that the Christian tradition is strengthened when Scripture is translated carefully, worship is shaped by local languages and artistic traditions, theological reflection takes culture seriously, and churches learn from one another while remaining faithful to their own convictions. This process has not been without tensions or disagreements, but it has produced a rich and distinctive Christian heritage that continues to develop.
The story of liturgy and worship in Papua New Guinea continues. As new generations encounter rapid urbanisation, technological change, educational expansion and increasing global influences, fresh questions will continue to arise concerning language, music, leadership and common worship. The foundations laid by missionaries, Pasifika evangelists, Papua New Guinean theologians and countless local congregations provide strong resources for meeting these challenges.
Their shared legacy is a living tradition of worship that continues to seek faithful expression of the Christian gospel in the remarkable cultural and linguistic diversity of Papua New Guinea, while reminding the global Church that unity in Christ is most fully realised through the faithful offering of a multitude of voices in praise of the one triune God revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Rev Dr Rod Benson is General Secretary of the NSW Ecumenical Council and a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia serving at North Rocks Community Church in Sydney. He lived in Lae, PNG, as a child and often sang from Buk Song Bilong Lotu while attending services of the Evangelical Brotherhood Church.
Image source: EBC social media
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