| In 2007, St. John’s Lutheran Church will introduce the new worship book of the ELCA called Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Below is an article reprinted from the Metro NY Synod – ELCA website on this new book.
What is the name of the new hymnal? Is it a hymnal? I heard it’s more of a book. Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) is the title of our new book of worship, shared between the ELCA and the ELCIC (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada). This rich resource is more than “just” a hymnal – it contains 10 settings of the service of Holy Communion, an extensive introduction and prayer section, as well as helpful explanations of the patterns of the worship services, the daily lectionary, Luther’s Small Catechism, all 150 psalms pointed for singing, beautiful artwork and more, all in addition to more than 700 hymns. The book is meant to be the core resource for worship for ELCA churches, replacing the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) and With One Voice (WOV). At the same time, it is the first in an unfolding family of resources in forms reflecting an evolving variety of media, intended to respond to the developing needs of the church in mission.
What is the focus/theme of the book?
Evangelical Lutheran Worship is grounded in Lutheran convictions about the centrality of the means of grace. The word of God read, preached and sung by the assembly, washed over us in baptism, given to us in the bread and the wine – the means of grace – form the essential core of the worship book.
Other central principles:
- The ELW promotes the principle that worship leadership is a shared task among those who carry out various roles in the assembly.
- The ELW seeks to make more transparent the principle of fostering unity without imposing uniformity.
What does the title mean?
Evangelical reflects our commitment to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ as partners in the mission of God. Lutheran is an indication that this new book is true to a confessional and reforming identity. And Worship makes it clear what this resource is for and about - the gathering of God’s people around the means of grace.
Why do we need a new book? What makes the book different or unique?
Quite simply, the time has come. After a fruitful, deliberate and thoughtful process of worship renewal, authorized by the governing bodies of the ELCA and affirmed by the people, our church is receiving the core resource that will guide our common worship life from now into the foreseeable future.
A bit of history: Renewal of worship resources has taken place periodically over the three centuries Lutherans have been on the North American continent and in the Caribbean region. During this time, renewal has been marked by a movement from a vast variety of Lutheran immigrant traditions toward a greater similarity of liturgical forms and a more common repertoire of song. Earlier efforts at this renewal produced the Service Book and Hymnal (SBH) and the Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW). It has been almost 30 years since the last comprehensive book of worship (LBW) was published. Other supplements have been offered since then (e.g. WOV) but not a comprehensive, core resource.
The years since the publication of Lutheran Book of Worship have seen many changes within the church and the world. Advances in communication and technology have led to the increasing use of electronic and digital resources within the church and its worship. A growing awareness of the interrelatedness of the world, coupled with new understandings of the world’s diverse cultures, has had implications as well for the church as the one body of Christ throughout the world. The use of language continues to develop in response to context and societal change, and languages other than English are more frequently used. Forms of musical expression have blossomed, and churches have embraced many of these forms for use in worship.
During the 1990s it was becoming clear that there was a growing need for a new generation of worship resources. Lutheran Book of Worship and some of the supplements that followed had served the church well. But there was increasing variety in worship and more diversity among congregations. At the same time, there was a deepening desire to reach out more deliberately to the unbaptized.
In the fall of 2000, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America boldly authorized a churchwide effort to define and develop “a new and common approach to primary worship resources that are supportive of the entire ELCA for the next generation.” The focus was to support all congregations and worshiping communities. The vision was to engage the whole church in the work of renewing worship. The motivation was, and continues to be, mission, for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
From that new beginning in our shared history of worship renewal, individuals and congregations throughout this church have been invited to learn about and contribute to the effort known as Renewing Worship. With help from thousands of people, the Renewing Worship project has led to the development of the new primary worship book, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, another milestone. Around this new book, a family of worship resources will continue to unfold.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship is truly an exciting resource, both for what it brings together and for its design. From the collection of hymns and songs to the prayer resources, from the varied liturgical settings to a full version of the psalms for singing, the content is a rich treasury that will enhance worship wherever it is used. The design and layout of the book intends to be hospitable, contributing to ease of use by those familiar with worship among Lutherans as well as those who are new to our communities of faith. It is also simply a beautiful book.
One more word about why a new book: As the primary worship book of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Worship will contribute to the sense that congregations are connected, a communion of local assemblies sharing in the same mission of God.
Is Lutheran worship changing to reflect the times/culture? If so, how?
Because the worship that constitutes the church is also the fundamental expression of the mission of God in the world, worship is regularly renewed in order to be both responsible and responsive to the world that the church is called to serve.
Evangelical Lutheran Worship bears the rich tradition of Christian worship practiced among Lutherans and, at the same time, seeks to renew that tradition in response to a generation of change in the church and in the world. Some of that change was outlined above in the historical section of the answer to the previous question – we have become a more interconnected and culturally aware world; we have developed a deepening sense of mission, including with those who speak other languages or who come to church with no familiarity with the liturgy; we have embraced music from a wide variety of cultures and styles. At the same time, the past thirty years have also seen a discovery of the rich resources of the historical liturgy that we share with all churches in the wider catholic tradition, including the great Three Days that mark the heart of our resurrection faith. In general, I would say that the ELW is an accurate and thoughtful reflection of where our church is now, with enough new material to lead us into the future.
As mentioned earlier, Evangelical Lutheran Worship is also the beginning of an unfolding family of resources in forms reflecting an evolving variety of media, intended to respond to the developing needs of the church in mission. Supporting this mission of the church, which is the mission of God in Christ for the world, is an ultimate goal of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Through liturgy and song the people of God participate in that mission, for here God comes with good news to save. And through liturgy and song, God nourishes us for that mission and goes with us to bear the creative and redeeming Word of God, Jesus Christ, to the whole world
At St. John’s of Lindenhurst, we have ordered the new worship book early and thus get a discount for an amount of $17.50 per book. If you would like to contribute to the purchase of the over 370 copies required for our church, please use the envelop provided in the pew rack or contact the church office.
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