ELCA NEWS SERVICE September 12, 2003 ELCA Hosts 'Renewing Worship Days' this Fall 03-169-MR CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Pastors, musicians and others invested in renewing the worship life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are gathering for "Renewing Worship Days," one-day workshops, at more than 30 locations across the country this fall. "We have three main goals for Renewing Worship Days," said Cheryl Dieter, coordinator for Renewing Worship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries. "First, it gives us an opportunity to introduce and interpret already-published provisional resources to the larger church. Second, we hope to explore how these resources can become vehicles for worship renewal in congregations. Finally, and equally important as the first two, we want to hear and respond to people's hopes, concerns and suggestions regarding future resources," said Dieter. Each one-day workshop, which begins and ends with worship, includes three distinctive sessions. "The Promise of Renewing Worship" is the first session, serving to introduce the Renewing Worship process as well as available and upcoming worship resources. The second, "Foundations for Renewal," explores language, music, preaching and worship space and their implications for the renewal of worship in congregations. "Partners in Conversation," the third session, offers participants an opportunity to share their hopes, dreams, concerns and input on the next generation of worship resources for the ELCA. "The goal of Renewing Worship is in the name -- renewal," said the Rev. Michael L. Burk, director for worship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries. "Not only do we hope that worship will be renewed, we hope that whole communities of faith, indeed the whole church, might be renewed through worship." "We are helping worshipping communities rediscover or remember what is central to Lutheran worship, namely baptizing and remembering baptism, preaching, singing and praying, sharing the meal of salvation and going out to continue God's mission. But we want to be clear that Renewing Worship is also about congregations helping us and helping each other. Genuine renewal is a cooperative effort all across the church," Burk said. In fall 2000 the boards for the ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries and Augsburg Fortress, the publishing house of the ELCA, endorsed a plan for worship renewal in the ELCA. That plan includes five phases of work to be completed by 2005. The first phase included the development of "Principles for Worship," a document that features the outcome of a series of 2001-2002 consultations on four topics: music, preaching, language and worship space. "The Use of the Means of Grace," the church's statement on sacramental practices adopted by the 1997 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, served as a "primary foundation" for the consultations. The second component includes a series of "working groups" that collect, develop and revise worship materials based on the church's sacramental practices. Liturgical and musical resource proposals that surfaced from the working groups are being published during the third phase of the plan as "trial-use resources." The fourth phase includes conferences across the church for conversation, resource introduction and evaluation, and congregational feedback. The fifth phase envisions the drafting of a comprehensive proposal for new primary worship resources designed to succeed the "Lutheran Book of Worship," the ELCA's primary worship resource published in 1978. Renewing Worship Days represents "the fourth phase, the event phase of the process," said Dieter. She said a "resource proposal group" is working to draft the comprehensive proposal for new primary worship resources. The proposal will be presented to the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA. "The time leading up to the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will be an extremely busy one. In 2004, three more provisional resources will be published," Dieter said. They are "Holy Communion and Related Rites," "Daily Prayer" and "The Church's Year: Propers and Seasonal Rites." Dieter added that, during that time, "we will continue to receive and review submissions and evaluations and will finalize the proposal for future resources." Renewing Worship Days began Sept. 6 in Columbus, Ohio. The last workshop is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2004, Seattle. -- -- -- Information about Renewing Worship Days and the Renewing Worship process is maintained at http://www.renewingworship.org on the Internet. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news