Children, Music, and Worship: Strengthening the Connections
by Michael Krentz
The music of faith is integral to shaping children’s faith and helping them participate and lead in worship. Here are some ways to strengthen congregational resolve to help children worship through the gift of music.

Coming to a Pew Near You
by Jonathan Eilert
Evangelical Lutheran Worship, the ELCA's new primary worship resource, aspires to keep the central things of worship central and honors the principles of renewal to which we are committed.

Communicating God's Forgiveness
by Russell C. Lee
While studying worship resources, and their relationship to forgiveness in various Christian traditions, the author was asked whether Lutherans have become obsessed with sin and forgiveness, are becoming overly sacramental, and believe they are justified by baptism instead of faith. He thinks the criticisms have some substance.

The Diverse Musical Riches of Evangelical Lutheran Worship
by Mark A. Mummert
A peek between the covers of the ELCA's new primary worship resource to be released in October leads to effusive praise by this musician.

Emerging Churches
by Katie Adelman
Discovering what makes today’s congregations tick is the greatest challenge of my 30-year passion for energizing people to love and serve God. Music, worship, and spiritual formation are the primary tools of my training. Yet, like most other workers in the church, I often feel the sting of inadequate experience or skill to meet the changing character of the institutional church in society.

For the Life of the World: Toward a Missional Theology of Worship
by William O. Gafkjen
Rising above our time's cacophony of controversy and conversation about liturgy and worship — its purpose, shape, participants, words, and music — is the melody of knees kneeling, cracking under the weight of prayer.

Green, Red or Platinum? The Process of Renewing Worship in the ELCA
by Frank W. Stoldt
A multi-year process of renewing worship materials is underway in the ELCA. The author takes a look at some vital questions: Why are we doing this now? Will things change? And what criteria will the church use as leaders consider change?

Heading toward a Heart of Worship
by Phil Kadidlo
Congregations steeped in older musical traditions can benefit from learning new songs and trying different musical styles. The author suggests ways to introduce new life, breadth, and “heart” into the congregational song.

Holy Communion and Infection Risks: An Age-old Concern
by Anne LaGrange Loving
A microbiologist shows, through scientific studies, that receiving Holy Communion does not increase one's illness rate when compared to the general population which does not take communion.

How Do Worship Leaders Worship?
by Ronald M. Rentner
A pastors' study group explores how leaders can worship even as they lead.

Intinction and Communion as Meal
by Jeffrey A. Truscott
A practice which strives to maintain the meal character of the sacrament is important for the administration of Holy Communion. Can intinction do this?

Introducing Evangelical Lutheran Worship: a Timeline
by Cheryl Dieter
A host of events from now through August 2007 will introduce, provide training for, and celebrate print and online resources for Evangelical Lutheran Worship.

LBW as Interim Hymnal
by Dan Borchers
The author argues that the LBW has served our churches well — as an interim worship resource. What should we do next?

One among Many
by Frederick P. Lampe
The Lutheran community gathers as an open community of worship, growth, and support as one faith community among several at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University.

Praise: A Modern Possibility
by William R. Matthews
Why we have a hard time praising, why we should praise, and what praise consists of

Q's and A's of Drama Ministry
by Carl H. Billings, Jr.
Our author, with several years of experience as a drama director and now as a parish pastor, ties the two worlds together, both raising questions and providing answers for congregational leadership in all sizes of congregations.

Reflections on the Renewal of Worship
by Joseph A. Donnella II
Discussion regarding the practices of worship and the implementation of new resources have been a part of church life from age to age. The intent, in the past as well as in the present, is to revitalize both our worship and our spiritual lives as we return to the fundamentals of the Word, the Bath, and the Meal.

Renewing Worship: a Timeline
by Cheryl Dieter
Important dates for the rest of 2005 mark the ongoing process of the liturgical review of a new generation of worship resources called Renewing Worship.

Shaping Spirituality
by Andrew F. Weisner
Our colleges and universities provide a variety of opportunities to help sustain students' spiritual lives. One of our ELCA schools, Lenoir-Rhyne College, takes its cue from our rich Word and sacrament heritage.

Stretching Our Faith through the Traditions of Others
by Jenni Roolf Laster
Honoring the diverse cultures and religious backgrounds of a worshipping community can expand everyone's image of God.

Technology and the Human Element in Christian Worship
by Mark Mummert
What can we do to keep alive the tradition of fine music in a world of technological answers? Here are some challenges and solutions.

The True Essence of Lutheran Worship
by John P. Nordin
The Word? Sacraments? Liturgy? Sermon? Music? With a grin on his face and a tongue in his cheek, the author says the "true essence" is something a little more common.

Weakened Immune Systems and Communion Practices
by George Koch
Recently, scientists have identified a powerful anti-AIDS agent in tears and saliva called lysozyme (see The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 96, issue 6, March 16, 1999). This well-known protein is an anti-cancer agent and is abundant in tears, saliva, and the urine of pregnant women.

Witnessing at Weddings
by Steven L. McKinley
I should not have read that article. It was in one of my “pastor mags,” and in it some wonderful pastor from somewhere wrote about viewing nonmember weddings as “evangelistic opportunities” and went on to expound on the many opportunities for witness that this pastor had discovered at the wedding receptions following nonmember weddings.

Worship and Witness through Popular Piety: a Latino View
by Ivis LaRiviere-Mestre
A Latina pastor seeks to shape her congregation’s worship in ways that take its setting and mixed Hispanic cultures, as well as its Lutheran Christian theology and traditions, seriously.

Worship for Postmodern Times
by Marva J. Dawn
How does the church minister to people in postmodern times? What kind of thinking should we be doing about worship as the third millennium approaches? What's at stake is the truth of Christ.

Worship Intensified
by Ryan Houts
An Iowa-based ministry equips youth to develop and lead worship as well as reach out to its peers. It utilizes the tradition while also reflecting youth culture’s musical cutting edge. Its name? Twilight Resurrection.

Young Men’s Search for Identity and Spirituality
by David W. Anderson, Paul G. Hill, and Roland D. Martinson
Current research on young adult men provides grist for helping congregational leadership reach out to them with the good news of Jesus Christ.