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New hymnal arrives at St. Olaf

By Tom Vogel
December 6, 2006

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), the new hymnal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), debuted during daily chapel service in Boe Memorial Chapel this week. The ELW represents the culmination of five years of discussion, planning and collaboration.

Nearly every song used in worship at St. Olaf this fall comes from the ELW, and even as early as this summer the hymnal was in use on campus during the Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts (CWTA). All of the music for the conference was drawn from the ELW in order to help introduce material to pastors and church leaders in attendance.

Discussion of a new hymnal began in 2000 when the boards of then-Division for Congregational Ministries and Augsburg Fortress publishing initiated "Renewing Worship," a process that involved listening to different perspectives on worship and taking into consideration cultural, ethnic, generational and economic diversity. The intent was to bring more flexibility and to engage the whole church into worship services.

"Evangelical Lutheran Worship and the related resources recognize the diversity of worship practices and the changing mission needs of this church," Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says in The Lutheran. "In other words, they provide continuity and unity but not uniformity."

ST. OLAF'S MARK
Thousands of Lutherans throughout the country contributed to the hymnal by offering works. Once the content had been determined, introductory teams visited congregations and conferences, leading workshops designed to help church leaders integrate ELW into their worship services.

St. Olaf faculty members have had a significant hand in developing and introducing the ELW. At this summer's CWTA, Anton Armstrong '78, conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, and Martin Seltz led a special-interest seminar introducing the new hymnal. Armstrong and John Ferguson, Elliot and Klara Stockdal Johnson Professor of Organ and Church Music, led workshops across the country--from South Carolina to Texas to Washington State--to help worship leaders introduce the new hymnal into their congregations. Ferguson, along with church pastors and theologians, also was involved in a review panel that assessed proposed content for the hymnal.

WHAT'S INSIDE
Structurally, the new hymnal is divided into eight sections--the Church Year, Communion, Baptism, Lent, Life Passages, Daily Prayer, Psalms and Assembly Song--with artwork and graphics throughout. It also includes service outlines, as well as alternative prayers and liturgical text alongside traditional versions.

The hymnal includes more than 700 hymns, songs and pieces of service music (53 percent from the Lutheran Book of Worship, 20 percent from With One Voice, 21 percent new and 6 percent from other sources), comprised of cultural, national and international songs, including original text printed alongside some adaptations that have language sensitivity or raise contemporary issues.

All 150 psalms are contained in the hymnal, along with new, expanded resources such as an updated calendar, daily readings and Martin Luther's 'Small Catechism." ELW and supplemental resources also will be available in electronic form.

"Response to the book has been amazing," says Ferguson. He adds that demand for the hymnal has been greater than expected, and some churches must to wait until next spring to receive their orders.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.