LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2004, Page 57

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SYNODICAL REPORTS 57

cal matters, including the layout of hymns and liturgies. The Com-
mission believes that it has developed many helpful enhancements.
Some of these will be evident in the accompanying proposal, while
others will not be seen until the hymnal is finally published. The
Commission intends to work closely with CPH so that attention can
continue to be given to these matters of detail, assisting the hymnal
to find ready and immediate acceptance.

Companion Volumes: When a new hymnal and agenda are pub-
lished, it is essential that supporting resources be made available
to assist pastors, musicians, and other worship planners in the use
of the new resources. During five years of preparation, the hymnal
committees have not only prepared what will be included in the
hymnal but also discussed fully how to use these materials. It is es-
sential that these insights be made available.

To that end, the Commission envisions a number of companion
volumes for the hymnal and agenda. Descriptions of each are pro-
vided in the full proposal. Here it is helpful to highlight only one:
the electronic version. Since the inception of the project, the Com-
mission has reported its intention to provide a fully electronic ver-
sion of the hymnal. That is still the plan. The Commission and CPH
are reviewing various models for such a resource. Should the pro-
posal receive approval at the convention, the Commission will re-
double its efforts with CPH to develop an electronic version that
will be user-friendly and yet provide a rich array of tools to assist in
worship planning.

Publication Schedule: Anticipating a positive response from the
convention that results in the adoption of the hymnal and agenda,
the Commission is poised to begin its collaborative effort with CPH
to bring the hymnal and its companion volumes to publication. The
editorial process will likely take about two years, with final publi-
cation anticipated in mid-2006.

Conclusion: The task of revising the Synod’s hymnals and
agendas has proven to be a mammoth undertaking. The fact that
the Commission has worked diligently to bring together several
hymnal traditions—namely, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Wor-
ship, Hymnal Supplement 98, and Lutheran Book of Worship—has
added to the scope of the effort. As the work began, the Commis-
sion knew that it would be difficult to offer a common resource for
the Synod. This challenge has become even more evident during
the course of the Commission’s work. Because of the great diver-
sity of worship in the Synod, no one’s needs will be completely
met by the proposed hymna!. Congregations will supplement the
hymnal to meet their local needs and customs.

In the course of its work, the Commission has come to the con-
clusion that its proposal for the hymnal and agenda is the right one
for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at this point in our
walk together. The Commission has worked diligently to address
the needs of all our congregations, searching for the most faithful
expressions of the Christian truth. Between the covers of the new
hymnal one will find a wide array of services and hymns, of rites
and prayers. Some are complex, some quite simple. Some are very
familiar, some quite new and fresh. Most significant, however, is
the way in which the Gospel is evident throughout this proposal.
That, ultimately, has been the Commission’s goal: to set before the
people of God the Good News of Jesus Christ in word and song.

Education and Resources

While the Commission has focused primarily on development
of the hymnal during this triennium, the Commission has also con-
tinued its efforts to “develop and deepen an understanding and love
for the Lutheran heritage in Christian worship” (Bylaw 3.928 a).

National Worship Conference: In July 2002 the Commission
hosted a four-day “Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church
Music” on the campus of Concordia University Wisconsin. Nearly
550 people attended, including some 25 children who participated
in a choir camp and over 40 presenters. The response from the con-

ference was extremely positive, with much encouragement given
to conduct another one in the future. To that end, the Commission
has scheduled a second conference for July 2005. The focus of this
event will be the new hymnal.

Text, Music, Context: In 1998 the Synod passed Res. 2-10, en-
couraging the Commission to develop a process to build consen-
sus in worship. In its 200] report, the Commission detailed the
progress that had been made. In the past triennium the Commis-
sion has worked toward completing another mandate of the original
resolution—namely, that the Commission “enable a process by
which songs and liturgical materials from sources other than LCMS
publications might be reviewed for acceptability so that congrega-
tions may be assisted in their goal of using doctrinally pure wor-
ship materials.” The Commission has approached this task with the
conviction that, given the complexity of the issues involved in plan-
ning worship, simply providing lists of acceptable songs would not
be the best approach.

In early 2004 the Commission published a 32-page document:
Text, Music, Context: A Resource for Reviewing Worship Materials
(TMC). Intended as a practical guide, TMC provides a theological
overview, diagnostic questions that aid in examining the text and
music of hymns and songs, additional questions that look at the ser-
vice as a whole, a discussion of the meaning and purpose of the
various parts of the Divine Service, and an appendix in which ex-
amples are given. In addition, a study guide has also been prepared.
It is the prayer of the Commission that this resource will help wor-
ship planners as they critically and carefully prepare for worship.

LetUsPray: For over four years the Commission has provided
weekly prayers suitable for use in corporate worship. This free ser-
vice to congregations of the Synod, which is distributed via e-mail,
continues to be well received. Currently there are nearly 7,000 sub-
scribers, including not only pastors and other worship planners but
also many interested laypeople. The purpose of LetUsPray has been
to strengthen congregations in their important work of intercessory
prayer.

LetUsPray provided a much-needed vehicle to assist congrega-
tions following the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy. Within hours of the at-
tack the Commission’s staff was able to distribute via the LetUs-
Pray mailing list an extensive collection of prayers, hymn
suggestions, and other resources for use in the congregations of the
Synod. Similar resources were made available at the start of the
war in Iraq.

Special Worship Resources: From time to time the Commission
provides additional worship resources via the Internet. These in-
clude devotional resources for Advent and Lent, service ideas for
Holy Week, and special prayers for the National Day of Prayer.

Catechumenate: A number of years ago, the Commission joined
with the Synod’s Department of Evangelism to explore ways of
strengthening adult catechesis in our congregations, primarily
through the process known as the adult catechumenate. In 2003 the
Commission published a 12-page brochure titled “Make Disciples:
Baptizing and Teaching.” It included historical background that ex-
plains the concepts behind the catechumenate, vignettes from three
congregations that described how the catechumenate has been
adapted to the local setting, and descriptions of various resources.

Accomplishments

* Completed hymnal and agenda proposal

* Sponsored national worship conference in 2002 with over 500 in
attendance

¢ Developed semiannual Lutheran Hymnal Project insert in the Re-
porter

* Provided further instruction on the catechumenate through the
dissemination of the brochure “Make Disciples: Baptizing and
Teaching”

2004 Convention Workbook