Worship book tells our story

Evangelical Lutheran Worship—the very name of the ELCA’s new book of worship reveals much about our identity as a church.

We are evangelical. The gospel of Jesus Christ is being proclaimed through word and sacrament; the Spirit is present bringing us to faith, uniting us in Christ’s body, and sending us to share the good news through word and deed.

We are Lutheran. The new book of worship reflects a strong commitment to our confessional and reforming identity (see also "A new hue in the pew" and "Worship whys: Balance").

Worship is at the heart of how we understand ourselves. In congregations, synods and the churchwide expression, we gather to hear God’s word read and proclaimed, to confess our sins and receive forgiveness, to pray and sing, to give thanks for the promises of baptism, to share the Lord’s Supper, to be sent out to be disciples—tellers of the story of Jesus, witnesses to God’s amazing grace, and active participants in God’s own mission.

Some would argue that we no longer need a printed worship book. It is true that the Web makes worship resources available in other forms. That is why Evangelical Lutheran Worship is a book, but it and supplemental resources also will be available in electronic form.