Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Evangelical Lutheran Worship
source
Name	Evangelical Lutheran Worship
Author	Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Lutheran liturgy, hymnody, worship resources
Publisher	Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Pub date	2006
Pages	720

Evangelical Lutheran Worship is a primary liturgical and hymnody resource produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, intended for use in congregational worship, pastoral practice, and denominational identity. It succeeded earlier hymnals and worship books and interfaces with ongoing practice in parishes, seminaries, synods, and ecumenical conversations. The text brings together rites, lectionaries, psalms, canticles, hymn texts, and musical settings to support pastors, musicians, deacons, bishops, and lay leaders.

Background and Development

Evangelical Lutheran Worship emerged from a lineage including the Lutheran Book of Worship project, the Service Book and Hymnal (SBH), and the Common Service. The project involved committees drawn from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church (1930–1960s), the Lutheran Church in America, and consultative relationships with the Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches, and ecumenical partners such as the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Communion. Influences included liturgical scholarship associated with scholars from Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, and Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Drafts underwent synodical review in assemblies including the ELCA Churchwide Assembly and committees connected to the Committee on Worship. The book reflects theological conversations sparked by documents like the Lutheran Confessions, the Book of Concord, and pastoral resources used in seminaries such as Luther Seminary, Concordia Seminary, and Trinity Lutheran Seminary.

Contents and Structure

The volume compiles orders of service, the three-year three-year lectionary, seasonal materials for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, and pastoral services for rites such as baptism, confirmation, marriage, burial rites, and ordination. It includes the full Psalter, canticles drawn from the Psalms, the Magnificat, the Nunc Dimittis, and settings of the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed. The arrangement follows a schema influenced by the Reformation legacy and historic formularies like the Small Catechism and the Large Catechism while integrating ecumenical lectionary patterns developed in consultation with the Consultation on Common Texts. Indexes include hymn indexes, Scripture indexes linking to the New Revised Standard Version and historic translations such as the King James Version, and resources for pastoral care referencing liturgical calendars from dioceses, synods such as the Southeastern Synod (ELCA), and congregational use.

Liturgical Rites and Services

Evangelical Lutheran Worship provides rites for the Eucharist modeled on the Holy Communion tradition, with multiple Eucharistic settings influenced by historical sources including the German Mass tradition, the Swedish Church order, and modern adaptations employed by clergy trained in institutions like General Theological Seminary and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. The book presents orders for Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Compline, and festivals connected to saints and commemorations such as St. Matthew, St. John, and ecumenical observances like World Communion Sunday. Pastoral rites include public confession and absolution, healing services referencing practices from Taizé Community and Iona Community liturgies, and services for civic occasions including national holidays and memorials like Memorial Day and Thanksgiving Day.

Music and Hymnody

The hymnal section assembles traditional chorales, contemporary hymnody, and global contributions from composers associated with institutions such as the Royal School of Church Music, Houghton College, and composers linked to the St. Olaf Choir and Concordia Publishing House traditions. Included are settings of Gregorian chant repertory, Lutheran chorales derived from Martin Luther’s hymnody, and modern pieces by composers connected to Ruth Duck, Carl Schalk, and other notable hymnwriters. The musical apparatus supports congregational singing using organ literature, piano accompaniments, choral arrangements, and resources for cantor-led worship influenced by ensembles like the Tallis Scholars and the King's College Choir, Cambridge.

Adoption and Use in Lutheran Churches

After approval by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the book was adopted across congregations in diverse contexts from urban parishes in New York City and Los Angeles to rural congregations in the Midwest. Seminaries, synod offices, campus ministries such as those at University of Minnesota and Ohio State University, and institutions like Luther College integrated the resources into formation programs. Use varies by synodical resolution, congregational polity, and local custom; parishes drawn from immigrant communities—linked to Hispanic Ministry networks, African Descent Lutheran Association, and Asian Lutheran Conference groups—adapt materials for multilingual liturgies and cross-cultural worship.

Reception and Revisions

Reception among clergy, musicians, and laity ranged from enthusiastic endorsement by liturgists at Princeton Seminary to critique from traditionalists associated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and conservative bloggers. Scholarly reviews appeared in journals such as the Lutheran Quarterly, Worship, and publications of the Augsburg Fortress press. Subsequent supplements and hymn supplements have been produced to address inclusivity, language updates, and musical needs, with revision proposals considered by committees similar to those that governed the original compilation. Debates continued around inclusive language, theological emphasis, and ecumenical compatibility with rites used by the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Church of Christ.

Category:Lutheran liturgical books