Kingdomtide is a

liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

season that is observed, albeit uncommonly, in the autumn by the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and some other

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

denominations. The season of Kingdomtide was introduced in the early 20th century but has now fallen out of practice in the contemporary United Methodist Church.

History

Kingdomtide was a liturgical season or sub-season observed only by Protestant churches, especially Methodists and Presbyterians. Green was traditionally the color of the day throughout this season as it is a part of the season of

Ordinary Time Ordinary Time ( la, Tempus per annum) is the part of the liturgical year in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, which falls outside the two great seasons of Christmastide and Eastertide, or their respective preparatory seasons of Advent and Lent. O ...

. In 1937, the US

Federal Council of Churches The Federal Council of Churches, officially the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, was an ecumenical association of Christian denominations in the United States in the early twentieth century. It represented the Anglican, Baptist, Ea ...

(a predecessor of the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partnership of 38 Christian faith groups in the Un ...

) recommended that the entire part of the Christian calendar between Pentecost and Advent be named ''Kingdomtide''; however, two years later the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

adopted the term only for the second half of this time period. Precise criteria for determining when Kingdomtide began varied in different localities. The most common practice was to start the season on the Sunday on or nearest August 31, which gave Kingdomtide 13 Sundays every year; in some places, Kingdomtide began on the last Sunday in August, giving the season 13 Sundays in some years and 14 in others. The last Sunday before Advent begins is observed as the

Feast of Christ the King The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as the Feast of Christ the King, Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday, is a feast in the liturgical year which emphasises the true Christ the King, kin ...

. The liturgy for Kingdomtide stressed charity and assistance to the poor, in contrast to the preceding Sundays after Pentecost, when a more spiritual mission was emphasized. Green

vestments Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...

and paraments were used at church services during Kingdomtide, replacing the red used on the Sundays after Pentecost (in churches that did not recognize Kingdomtide as a separate season, green was generally deployed throughout the entire period between Pentecost and Advent). By 1992, the United Methodist Church was the only denomination still using the term Kingdomtide, and even within the United Methodist Church the observance has almost completely ceased, with most congregations adopting the more common ecumenical pattern of a season of Ordinary Time between Pentecost and Advent.

Anglican Usage

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

, "the period between All Saints' Day and the First Sunday of Advent is observed as a time of celebration and reflection on the reign of Christ in earth and heaven".''Common Worship: Daily Prayer'', p. xx In the Church of England liturgical colours are recommended but not mandatory, so while red is encouraged during this period, individual churches may continue to use green until Advent. This period, called ''All Saints to Advent'' in the Church of England's liturgical material, is often nicknamed ''Kingdomtide'' or the ''Kingdom season''.

References

{{Reflist Protestant holy days United Methodist Church Liturgical seasons