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