Stretching Your Worship Within Lutheran Parameters

Lutherans often take a different view on things. What, for instance, are the distinctive aims, actions, and aesthetics of Lutheran worship? We speak of the principles of Lutheran worship. Do we think of these principles as scriptural signposts that help us? Or as strictures that hinder a vibrant worship? A principled approach to worship comes with a possible pitfall: that our worship becomes stagnant. Is there sometimes a bit of truth to the critique of Lutheran worship, “It’s the same thing every week!”?

This workshop will encourage your congregation to spot that which is stagnant and then stretch your worship life. What are your next steps forward in enriching your orders of service; in singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs? Do you conduct worship in a way that welcomes the unchurched? The goal is to keep your congregation stretching toward a life of worship that exchanges parish ruts for Lutheran riches! God’s people and our communities will be blessed as a result. Attendees will bring home a list of deliverables to implement in their specific contexts.

This workshop was originally presented at the 2023 WELS leadership conference. It is offered only once.

Bio | Aaron Christie

Prof. Christie is dean of chapel and professor of worship and homiletics at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He previously served churches in Antioch, Ill., and Waukesha, Wis. He holds a Master of Church Music degree from Concordia University Wisconsin. He has served the church at large as a presenter for Schools of Worship Enrichment, a member of the Commission on Worship and the Institute for Worship and Outreach, and chairman of the hymns committee for Christian Worship.