FEATURE: Lutherans Bring Back the 'Revival'

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Over the summer a white, circus-sized tent
appeared on the grounds of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Troy,
N.Y., garnering looks of interest from all who passed by,
according to Marilyn Dyer. Although known throughout the
community for its "innovative approach to ministry," St. Timothy
reached a high point in its aspiration for doing things
differently by organizing a "revival" or "renewal" -- an
evangelism and worship trend currently making its way across the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Although the congregation heard plans for the revival for
more than a year, there seemed to be general skepticism, said
Greg Whitney, member of St. Timothy and chair of the committee
that organized the revival. Amid the skepticism, the committee
proceeded with its plans and publicized the revival through
public service announcements, newspaper articles and ads,
securing food donations, music and more.
"God is the one who made the revival happen," said Whitney.
Members of the church who had expressed some skepticism attended
the revival and "not only did they come, but they were blessed
and felt God's presence. I think revivals will catch on more in
the church once people move beyond their preconceived notions
about what are revivals. Once we experience it we'll learn more
and take part in worship as a way of listening more to God," he
said.
"The word 'revival' has a reputation for being fundamental,"
said Dyer, but the revival at St. Timothy "was a very moving,
lovely experience. Those who attended learned that the word
'revival' is not to be feared and can, in fact, be an unexpected
spiritual reawakening."
Dyer, a member of St. Timothy for more than 30 years, said
that "stepping out of the box in worship allows for new
expressions of faith, a new understanding that different doesn't
mean bad or weird. Faith comes in all shapes and sizes, and we
know that Christ called the unusual to be his disciples."
More than 100 people attended each day of St. Timothy's
three-day revival in August. "The planning and execution of the
revival was a remarkable blessing for the congregation. New
leaders emerged, and the energy and excitement following the
revival has led to plans for increased outreach in the community,
so that all will know God's love," said the Rev. Kimberly R.
Cottingham, St. Timothy.
St. Timothy is one of more than 20 congregations of the ELCA
that have organized a revival, but the "numbers are much higher
because congregations have partnered with three to as many as six
Lutheran churches in their community for one revival," said the
Rev. Kathryn I. Love, director for prayer and renewal, ELCA
Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission.
Love said revival in the ELCA is "quite different from what
you would experience with the 'Billy Grahams' of the world, who
are seeking for people to become saved or to do some kind of
great confession." She said revivals are not new in the Lutheran
church and date back to the day of Martin Luther -- a 16th
century German monk whose teachings founded the Lutheran
tradition.
Lutherans "are using revival services as a safe place to
pray for spiritual renewal, share stories and our testimonies,"
said Love. "When the intercessor at the revival asks, 'How can I
pray for you,' I'm surprised that about 75 percent of the time
(prayers) are not for the individual but for someone else. God
is moving in our church through prayer. We are realizing that
God is doing things through people, and this is our window of
opportunity to assist in the ministries of the ELCA, equipping
others to train, lead and support the promotion of the Gospel, so
that people who do not understand the love of God may become rich
in the knowledge of God's love for them and their communities,"
she said.
"'Revival' is a word that makes some Lutherans nervous
because it has a history, especially associated with the 'Great
Awakenings,' that seems to suggest that worship is about a
gathering of individuals experiencing or coming to terms with
their faith individually. In other words, it's people in the
presence of other people but the communal dynamic can be lost in
talk of a decision related to faith in God rather than what it
means to be called and gathered into the people of God," said the
Rev. Michael Burk, executive director, ELCA Worship and
Liturgical Resources.
"So when it comes to a word like 'revival,' Lutherans often
say, 'let's talk about renewal instead of or in addition to,'
whereas maybe it's healthier to think that 'revival' is a word we
too can claim," said Burk.
Revival in the ELCA is defined as "the work of the Holy
Spirit, invigorating, molding and shaping congregations to do the
will of God," said Love. "In Lutheran revival we desire God's
spirit to rekindle in us the spirit of joy, hope, peace and love.
In Lutheran revival services, we ask that these gifts be stirred
up for the sake of mission and ministry, equipping our
congregations as places where witnessing to the Good News is a
way of life."
A fear among Lutherans, when they think about a revival, is
"losing who we are as Lutherans," said Love. But "it seems to me
that after every revival service people become excited about it,
particularly after seeing the resources we've produced about
Lutheran revivals. The resources have been instrumental in
breaking down the barriers, the fears that (exist) in the
beginning, and offer an opportunity for Lutherans to talk with
one another about what revival really means to Lutherans."
Love said Lutheran revivals are centered on the sacraments,
such as Holy Communion and the Word. "We have dipped ourselves
into who we are as Lutherans, using the sacraments and services
to fashion revivals that can be acceptable in the Lutheran
Church," she said.
The resources include a DVD with companion booklet that
shares the story of Lutheran revival, seasons of renewal and the
Holy Spirit. Insights from the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding
bishop of the ELCA, are featured.
The book "Renewing the Passion: A Guide to Spiritual
Renewal" offers several revival worship models and outlines on
how to plan a prayer event, conference, retreat and more.
The resources were developed as a result of the ELCA's
evangelism strategy -- "Sharing Faith in a New Century: A Vision
for Evangelism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America."
Adopted by the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the strategy has
three overall objectives -- call the church to prayer, prepare
and renew evangelical leaders, and teach discipleship.
Love said the third objective of the strategy contains the
directive for congregations to "'host a variety of inspirational
evangelical mass rallies, gatherings or revivals.'"
Churches don't have to pitch a tent, "but some congregations
want to feel like they're in revival," said Love. Most revivals
take place inside a church building, are organized by three or
more congregations in the same town or extended community, and
can take place over the course of three days. Most include meals
served either before or after the revival. When three
congregations are involved in a revival, each congregation hosts
a day and/or evening in its church building.
Revival services took place Oct. 14-21 at all seven ELCA
churches in the U.S. Virgin Islands -- Nazareth Lutheran Church,
Cruz Bay (St. John); Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Thomas;
Frederick Lutheran Church, Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas);
Kingshill Lutheran Church, Kingshill (St. Croix); Holy Trinity
Lutheran Church, Frederiksted (St. Croix); Lord God of Sabaoth,
Christiansted (St. Croix) and Christus Victor Lutheran Church,
Estate Lavallee (St. Croix).
"Every church was filled to capacity. More people attended
the revival services tha