Panel Discussion: All Things Christian Worship

Presentation Description

The new Christian Worship hymnal is the result of approximately a decade of work. A multitude of committees—hymns, psalms, rites, Scripture, technology, etc.—brought together over ninety individuals with different areas of expertise. These worship leaders have provided our church body not just with a hymnal, but a large suite of carefully curated worship resources: a complete psalter, new altar book and agenda, commentaries on the Propers, devotional materials. There are also powerful tech resources: Christian Worship: Service Builder and Christian Worship: Musician’s Resource. The prayer is that this assortment of resources allows every congregation to carry out Lutheran worship with excellence, regardless of their setting (e.g., new mission start or 150-year-old church) and situation (e.g., multiple musicians or none).

Due to Christian Worship being new and to the volume of resources that were shared, you and your congregation may still have questions. In this presentation, you will have the opportunity to bring those questions to a panel consisting of leaders of the Hymnal Project. Some of your questions may be practical. Others may be philosophical. All are welcome! The panel will demonstrate how Christian Worship is designed to foster joyful unity in worship, prayer, and praise. Participants will also have a chance to learn from each other, not only from the panel.

Members of the panel are pastors who served on the hymnal project’s Executive Committee, joined by NPH’s Jeremy Bakken.

• Michael Schultz was the hymnal project director. Last June he began serving in a new call at Faith, Tallahassee, Fla.
• Jonathan Bauer did much of the research on modern songs to include and wrote the chapter on worship and outreach for the forthcoming Christian Worship: Foundations. He also authored Commentary on the Propers Year C. He serves at Good News, Mt. Horeb, Wis.
• Caleb Bassett chaired the project’s Technology Committee which steered development of the Service Builder program and the Musician’s Resource. He serves at Redeemer, Fallbrook, Calif.
• Jon Schroeder chaired the project’s Scripture Committee, responsible for the new lectionary and its supporting liturgical elements. He also authored Commentary on the Propers Year A. He serves at Faith, Sharpsburg, Ga.
• Bryan Gerlach is director of the Commission on Worship.
• Jeremy Bakken is Director of Worship and Sacred Music, Curricula at NPH. He served on the project’s Hymnody Committee.