Principles for Worship

About Principles for Worship
Principles for Worship, published in June 2002, was the outcome of the first consultative phase of Renewing Worship. During 2001, over one hundred people representing the breadth of this church took part in a series of consultations that led to the formulation of these principles. The Use of the Means of Grace, the statement on the practice of word and sacrament adopted in 1997 by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, served as a primary foundation for this work.

The consultations developed additional principles and supporting materials to address four particular dimensions of the church’s worship: language, music, preaching, and worship space.

At its February 2002 meeting, the board of the Division for Congregational Ministries authorized publication of Principles for Worship for churchwide study and response. This study document was published in June 2002.

To help facilitate the churchwide study process, The Use of the Means of Grace was included in the published copy of Principles for Worship, and one copy was mailed to each ELCA congregation. Additional copies of the print edition are available for purchase from Augsburg Fortress. A Spanish version is also available: Principios para la Adoración.

For further information about Principles for Worship, consult the introduction to the document. A full list of the participants in the four consultations is also included at the end of the introduction.

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Copyright
Permission is granted to reproduce these materials for use in worship and study, provided that no part of the reproduction is for sale, copies are for one-time local use, and the following copyright notice appears:

From Principles for Worship, copyright © 2002 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, administered by Augsburg Fortress.