CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) received an update on plans for the next generation of worship resources for the church and about the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. The council met here Nov. 15-17. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.
The Rev. Michael L. Burk, director for worship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries, told the council that it should come as no surprise that in "matters related to worship, things are changing."
The "Renewing Worship" churchwide initiative "is designed not only to develop the next generation of worship resources -- in other words, what comes after the Lutheran Book of Worship -- but in response to changes in the life of the church and the world. Renewing Worship aims to help the church rediscover and renew what it means to be the baptized people of God with a decidedly Lutheran perspective," said Burk.
The first phase of the five-year initiative, which began in 2001, yielded "Principles for Worship," a provisional volume that provides material on four dimensions of ELCA worship: language, music, preaching and worship. Principles for Worship is "grounded" in the ELCA's sacramental practices statement, "The Use of the Means of Grace." Complimentary copies of the volume were sent to the 10,816 congregations of the ELCA. A Spanish-text version of the resource -- Principios para la Adoracion -- is now in production.
Renewing Worship "is dependent on the input and response of the people and congregations of the ELCA. If there is one thing that I mean to consistently communicate, it is that we, who are working day-to-day on the development of resources, are listening. [We're] listening for what works and what doesn't work locally. Listening for experience and expertise, always inviting more people to be involved," Burk told the council. "We are also listening to biblical witness, to our own rich, confessional, theological and liturgical heritage and to voices from beyond our own tradition," he said.
"After almost two years, we have come to think that Renewing Worship is more complex than what was originally envisioned. In a strange way that complexity contributes to our hope for what it might mean for the whole church. People consistently ask if we think we will be able to bridge the so-called contemporary-traditional divide. I consistently suggest that is the wrong question [to ask]. The tension that contributes to concerns about identity revolves less around competing worship styles and more around two seemingly, but not necessarily, competitive desires. The desire for freedom in how we worship locally and the desire to worship in ways that can legitimately and with integrity be called 'Lutheran,'" said Burk.
"It is important to say that there has been and continues to be input from our full communion partners, with significant participation from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. It is important to say that we continue to work on ethnic-specific worship resources along side Renewing Worship," Burk said. The ELCA's full communion partners in the United States are the Episcopal Church, Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Reformed Church of America and United Church in Christ.
Twenty-five regional events will take place following the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, Aug. 11-17. Burk said the events will provide opportunities for Lutherans to learn about and experience new worship materials. Equally important to the introduction and interpretation of new worship resources is feedback and additional input from members of the church, he said.
The final phase of the process, 2005 and beyond, envisions the drafting of a comprehensive proposal for new primary worship resources designed to succeed the Lutheran Book of Worship.
In a separate report, the council heard about the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering, July 16-20 and July 23-27 in Atlanta. Under the theme, "Do Life! Ubuntu!" as many as 40,000 to 45,000 Lutheran teenagers and adults are expected to attend. Worship, education and service will be highlighted during the events. Registration on the Internet at the ELCA's Web site opened Sept. 16 and mail-in registration opened Sept. 30; registration will close May 3, 2003.
"Ubuntu literally means 'humanity,'" said the Rev. William B. Kees, director for youth ministries and gathering team, Division for Congregational Ministries. Kees told the council that Archbishop Desmond Tutu, retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, "embraced ubuntu" and "contended that in order to understand yourself, you do it through someone else." Tutu served as a keynote presenter for the 2000 ELCA Youth Gathering in St. Louis. -- -- --
Information about Renewing Worship is available at http://www.renewingworship.org on the Internet. Information about the 2003 ELCA Youth Gathering is available on the Internet at http://www.elca.org/gathering/ubuntu.html
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
