Ruth C. Duck

Ruth Carolyn Duck (1947–2024) was an American United Church of Christ minister, theologian, liturgist, hymn writer, and teacher whose work helped shape late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century congregational worship. Born in Washington, D.C., she earned a BA from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College) in 1969, an MDiv from Chicago Theological Seminary in 1973, an MA from the University of Notre Dame in 1987, and a ThD from Boston University School of Theology in 1989. Chicago Theological Seminary awarded her an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1983. She was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 1974 and served congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Duck became widely known for hymn texts and liturgical scholarship that explored baptism, communion, justice, creation, the experiences of women, and language for God and the worshiping community. She began writing hymns in the late 1970s and published collections and worship resources alongside her academic work. Her hymns often arose from particular liturgical needs, giving congregations language that joined biblical imagery with contemporary theological concerns.

She later taught worship at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where she became professor of worship and eventually professor emerita. Her books and hymns influenced ministers, musicians, and worship planners across several denominations. Among her better-known texts are "Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters," "Arise, Your Light Is Come," and other hymns concerned with Christian initiation, justice, community, and the life of faith. Duck died in Claremont, California, on December 26, 2024.