Some Numbers

It is not clear how many congregations or to what extent congregations have chosen not to use the CCAR prayer-books. Most congregations continue to use the CCAR prayer-books for most of their services. Many of the congregations use in-house services for special occasions. A few congregations have prepared or are in the process of preparing their own prayer books.

The youth movement, NFTY, presents one of the extremes, in that its members create in-house liturgy for most of their services. NFTY's national leadership camp, Kutz, tends to use the new CCAR prayer-books during the Summer for its morning liturgy, but creates in-house liturgy for the evening.

Excelsior Computer Services reports that roughly thirty Reform congregations have purchased its ServiceMaker software (see Section 4.6.3) to create occasional liturgy in-house. From informal conversations, it appears that some congregations use the software only once or twice a year, others once a week. Almost always, these congregations create only short services, and not entire prayer-books; they use the CCAR publications for the remainder of their services.

Excelsior Computer Services also reports that five Reform congregations have asked it to typeset complete prayer-books. These congregations have chosen to use the CCAR prayer-books seldom, if at all.

From informal discussion on HUCalum --- a computer discussion group for HUC-JIR alumni --- it seems that several professional Reform leaders have already found electronic ways to create services, and many more are interested in doing so. Of those, less than half use ServiceMaker. Because the computer list comprises a skewed segment of the professional leadership, it is difficult to extrapolate from these data. Rabbi Don Weber, who chairs the CCAR's Committee on Computer Technology and the Rabbinate, reports from informal conversations that a large portion of younger leaders are seeking the ability to create service-liturgy in-house.