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Partner Organization Resources and Events

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

Lutheran Summer Music 2025
Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.
June 22–July 20

Experience Live from LSM this July!

Join Lutheran Summer Music for our 43rd season at Valparaiso University, June 22–July 20! Can’t attend in person? Experience over 30 inspiring concerts, recitals, and worship services online through Live from LSM.

Highlights include the beloved Bach Cantata Eucharist, the Festival of Hymns, the debut Faculty Organ Recital, and Festival Week performances by the Festival Band, Orchestra, and Choir.

Explore the full schedule and tune in at LSMacademy.org/2025. All events are free and available to stream live or on demand. Don’t miss this transformative celebration of music, faith, and community!

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

ALCM Conference 2025
Aug. 4-8
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

There is still time to register for the August conference in Raleigh-Durham. Here are just a few of the highlights:

We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh!

Music that Makes Community

Rooted in Christian contemplative and activist traditions, Music That Makes Community envisions a liberative culture that empowers individuals and communities to claim and use the power of singing to heal our spirits, nurture our common lives, and work for justice.

 

Introductory Spaces – Meet Music that Makes Community at these events and conferences.

  • The Hymn Society Conference at Wayne State, Detroit, MI: On July 15, Executive Director Conie Borchardt and Organizer Doe Hoyer from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery will offer a Sectional on “Reckoning with the Doctrine of Discovery: How Our Sacred Songs Can Move Us Toward Indigenous Solidarity”.
  • Sacred Lands SING at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Detroit, Mich: On July 17, Conie and Doe will share more songs from the Sacred Lands Playlist Collection. 7-9 p.m.
  • ALCM Conference at Raleigh, North Carolina, August 4-8.
  • CMP Converging 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, October 16-18.

Training Events — Join us at the following events for continuing education, community building, professional development, and celebrating this practice of paperless communal song-sharing.

  • October 3-5: Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin (coming soon!)
  • October 12: Three-day Retreat in Albuquerque, N.M.
  • November 7-9: Workshop in Waco, Texas (coming soon!)
  • February 6-8, 2026: Two-Day Retreat in Raleigh, North Carolina (coming soon!)
  • More in-person events are being planned. Please stay tuned!

Online Spaces —
Monday Morning Grounding — This weekly online touchstone continues to offer song, silence, sacred text and community connection, Mondays at 10 a.m. Eastern / 7 a.m. Pacific until July 28. Register for the Zoom link here.

Resources – Read the MMC blog for articles on a variety of topics.  The latest presents Songs for Justice.

Job Postings on Music That Makes Community website.

Sign up for Monthly Newsletter for regular updates on resources and events.  Read recent issues here.

Let It Be With Me According to Your Word

Seminar on Lutheran Liturgy
Minneapolis, Minn., August 13-15

Register at www.seminarliturgy.org.

 

 Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music: For All the Saints

October 19-21
Concordia University Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Presenters include: John Witvliet, plenary; Brenda Portman, organ concert; Hymn Festival: Hymns of David Rogner

Workshops: John Behnke, Stephen Starke, Barry Bobb, Benjamin Kolodziej, Matthew Janssen, Sam and Lois Eatherton, Lisa Clark, Jim Rindelaub

Registration information will be available in mid-July.

Check the website for updates.

Journey to Baptismal Living: North American Associate for the Catechumenate

An ecumenical Christian community seeking to support seekers, whether baptized or not,  and those who accompany them on their journey of faith through the catechumenal process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worship Resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

Share your All Creation Sings experience

As we approach the 5-year anniversary of the release of All Creation Sings, we are interested in the impact that this resource has made in your congregation and community.

Share a photo of a copy of All Creation Sings where you use it, or in the hands of the people who use, it along with a 1-4 sentence testimonial about your ministry’s experience with this liturgy and song supplement in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship family. Please be sure to identify yourself or your congregation in the testimonial (ex: Pr. Jane Doe, First Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL). Send it to reply@augsburgfortress.org by August 15. Responders will be entered into a drawing for a $150 gift card to Augsburg Fortress Publishers (good for use at augsburgfortress.org or wearesparkhouse.org). These submissions may be shared in our general marketing surrounding the 5-year anniversary and beyond. If you cannot share both a photo and testimonial, we would be happy to receive either one. Thank you!

Lectionary for Worship NRSVue Study Edition Year A

This study edition of the Lectionary for Worship contains the Year A Revised Common Lectionary using NRSV Updated Edition Scripture texts. Pronunciation aids and convenient summaries help lectors prepare with confidence. The lectionary includes a helpful introduction with several charts. Artwork from Evangelical Lutheran Worship introduces each liturgical season and a Scriptural Index is included. A hidden treasure essential for worship planning and reader preparation. Keep a copy in your church office and sacristy and gift to a recent seminary graduate!

ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching on Faith, Sexism, and Justice

ReEngaging ELCA Social Teaching on Faith, Sexism, and Justice calls us to think together about the ELCA’s 2019 statement on faith, sexism, and justice. What does it mean to embody Lutheran convictions to resist patriarchy and sexism, embrace multidimensional sex and gender, and envision a world that is life-giving for all humans? It delivers a clarion call to action. Social and religious systems of patriarchy are sinful. God intends for God’s diverse creation to flourish. We are called, therefore, to resist all barriers to lives of flourishing and abundance for everyone.

In Sure and Certain Hope: A Funeral Sourcebook

In Sure and Certain Hope: A Funeral Sourcebook is a comprehensive guide for planning, presiding, and preaching at funerals. An in-depth look at the funeral rite and sermon demonstrates how the funeral connects to baptism, proclaims the resurrection of Christ and promise of new life, and points to the communion of all the saints. Tools for discussing and planning a funeral with the family include a planning worksheet, suggestions for scripture texts and hymns, and essays on cremation, the use of a columbarium, natural or green burial, military ceremonies, and more. Includes printable resources.

Soli Deo Gloria: Choir Devotions for Year A

Soli Deo Gloria is a collection of devotions for the choir, choir director, and music lovers. The collection features brief meditations based on the texts given in the Revised Common Lectionary, emphasizing the choir’s leadership role in worship. The ministry of choral music requires preparation of both heart and voice. These devotionals, used at either rehearsal or before worship, will provide a spiritual element much as vocal warm-ups provide the musical element. Also included with each devotional is a hymn text appropriate for the day and rehearsal planning pages.

Summer Music Clinics

Join us this summer for our annual music clinics. This year’s phenomenal clinicians are Jennaya Robison (choral) and Jan Kraybill (organ). Check out our website to read more about these talented practitioners, explore the daily schedule, and register for a clinic in your area!

  • July 18–19, Columbia, S.C.
  • July 21–22, Columbus, Ohio
  • July 24–25, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • August 11–12, Twin Cities, Minn.
  • August 14–15, Chicago, Ill.

 

Addressing Anti-Judaism: A Proposed Update to the Revised Common Lectionary

The Consultation on Common Texts (CCT)— a joint American and Canadian ecumenical body—oversees the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), a schedule of biblical passages read on Sundays and festivals in congregations of multiple denominations in North America and other parts of the world. The ELCA is one of more than 20 member denominations.

At its April 2025 meeting, CCT approved a provisional update to the RCL. This update reexamines passages of Scripture that have historically been misused to justify discrimination and violence against the Jews. This process involved extensive study and consultation with biblical experts, church historians, and liturgical leaders, including a forum with consultation and participation of Jewish scholars. The ELCA Consultative Panel on Lutheran-Jewish Relations was among the groups that offered feedback during this process that helped shape this ecumenical effort.

This proposed update is commended by the CCT to the churches for a three-year trial period, beginning in Advent of 2025 (Year A).

Key Areas of Focus

The proposal considers how the passion narrative is proclaimed on Palm/Passion Sunday and Good Friday, offering guidance for preachers and worshipers.

It also includes provisional revisions to the lectionary for the Easter season and the Time after Pentecost. A significant concern raised is the practice of replacing Old Testament readings with passages from Acts during Eastertide. As the proposal notes:

“The RCL lectionary for Easter Season has perpetuated what we also find to be a potentially harmful practice of replacing the first reading from the Old Testament with a reading from Acts during Easter Season. For Christians not to read from texts shared with Jews during any season of the year is inherently problematic.”
…
“Therefore, the Consultation recommends alternative readings from the Hebrew Scriptures during Eastertide, drawing on work from the Church of Scotland as promoted by the English Language Liturgical Consultation.”

The proposal suggests delaying readings from Acts until after Pentecost, using them as a replacement for the second reading.

Next Steps for ELCA Congregations and Worshiping Communities

As a member church of the Consultation on Common Texts, the ELCA encourages use and testing of these materials during these next three years. Feedback may be provided directly to the CCT during this testing phase. Please also consider sharing this feedback with the ELCA Worship team at worship@elca.org.

The ELCA anticipates that some limited additional resources may be available later this fall to assist worship planners in our ELCA context as they consider implementation during the testing phase.

Available Resources

Several existing ELCA resources can help guide worship leaders and preachers in addressing these important concerns:

Partner Organizations Resources and Events

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Music that Makes Community

Rooted in Christian contemplative and activist traditions, Music That Makes Community envisions a liberative culture that empowers individuals and communities to claim and use the power of singing to heal our spirits, nurture our common lives, and work for justice. We offer resources, training, and encouragement to individuals, organizations, and communities in the dynamic power of singing to connect others and ourselves.

Introductory Spaces – Meet Music that Makes Community at these events and conferences.

  • Intergenerate Conference at Asbury University, Wilmore, KY: On June 10, Rev. Breen Marie Sipes will be offering a “Taste of Welcome Through Song”
  • The Hymn Society Conference at Wayne State, Detroit, MI: On July 15, Executive Director Conie Borchardt and Organizer Doe Hoyer from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery will offer a Sectional on “Reckoning with the Doctrine of Discovery: How Our Sacred Songs Can Move Us Toward Indigenous Solidarity”.
  • Sacred Lands SING at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Detroit, Mich: On July 17, Conie and Doe will share more songs from the Sacred Lands Playlist Collection. 7-9 p.m.
  • ALCM Conference at Raleigh, North Carolina, August 4-8.
  • CMP Converging 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, October 16-18.

Training Events — Join us at the following events for continuing education, community building, professional development, and celebrating this practice of paperless communal song-sharing.

  • June 20-21: Two-Part Workshop in Taos, New Mexico
  • October 3-5: Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin
  • October 12: Three-day Retreat in Albuquerque, N.M.
  • November 7-9: Workshop in Waco, Texas (coming soon!)
  • February 6-8, 2026: Two-Day Retreat in Raleigh, North Carolina (coming soon!)
  • More in-person events are being planned. Please stay tuned!

Online Spaces – 

  • Summer Solstice SING – Join us for a celebration of paperless song sharing on Monday, June 23, 5-6 p.m. PT / 8-9 p.m. ET.  Register here.
  • Monday Morning Grounding — This weekly online touchstone continues to offer song, silence, sacred text and community connection, Mondays at 10 a.m. Eastern / 7 a.m. Pacific until July 28. Register for the Zoom link here.

Resources – Read the MMC blog for articles on a variety of topics.  The latest presents Songs for Justice.

Job Postings on Music That Makes Community website.

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter for regular updates on resources and events.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

Lutheran Summer Music 2025
Valparaiso University,Valparaiso, Ind.
June 22–July 20

Get Ready for LSM 2025!

Join us at Valparaiso University from June 22 -July 20 for our 43rd season. It will feature over 30 free concerts, recitals, and worship services. Can’t make it in person? Watch online via Live from LSM!

Highlights include the beloved Bach Cantata Eucharist, Festival of Hymns, and the debut Faculty Organ Recital. Don’t miss Festival Week with powerful performances from the Festival Band, Orchestra, and Choir.

Read more in our new season brochure using this link: bit.ly/2025season

Additional visitor details and online access.

Let It Be With Me According to Your Word

Seminar on Lutheran Liturgy
Minneapolis, Minn., August 13-15

Register at www.seminarliturgy.org.

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

ALCM Conference 2025
Aug. 4-8
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

There is still time to register for the August conference in Raleigh-Durham. Here are just a few of the highlights:

We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh!

Journey to Baptismal Living: North American Associate for the Catechumenate

An ecumenical Christian community seeking to support seekers, whether baptized or not,  and those who accompany them on their journey of faith through the catechumenal process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vi Messerli Memorial Lectures in Church Music: For All the Saints

October 19-21
Concordia University Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Presenters include: John Witvliet, plenary; Brenda Portman, organ concert; Hymn Festival: Hymns of David Rogner

Workshops: John Behnke, Stephen Starke, Barry Bobb, Benjamin Kolodziej, Matthew Janssen, Sam and Lois Eatherton, Lisa Clark, Jim Rindelaub

Registration information will be available in mid-July.

Check the website for updates.

 

Worship Resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers that support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from other partners in a monthly blog post.

Musicians Guide to Evangelical Lutheran Worship

This practical text examines the various styles of music and features specific suggestions for each piece of service music, hymn, and song with the aim of assisting music leaders to enrich meaningful worship.

 

Praying for the Whole World: A Handbook for Intercessors

In the intercessions, the assembly asks God to respond to the needs of the whole world. Through these petitions, worshipers enact their baptismal calling to intercede for the well-being of all things. In many churches, laypersons prepare the prayers of intercession. In this concise, charming, down-to-earth handbook, Ramshaw proposes seven steps, from Monday through Sunday, to assist your crafting of the prayers of the faithful.

Weekly Bulletin and Lectionary Insert Service

Our beautifully designed bulletins and inserts take a major preparation task off your plate. With their full color images, range of format options, and automated quarterly delivery, each week’s content can bring added depth and meaning to worship, front to back. Choose your back page format: NRSVue scripture readings, Devotional message based on reading, or blank. Select a lectionary insert: Celebrate or Today’s Readings. Pick your size: Regular or Large. Print your announcements and church information right on the page and you are set! Free month trials available!

To learn more about the process of choosing the art for each bulletin, read this blog post.

Together by Grace: Bible Conversations

Together by Grace: Bible Conversations is a NEW series that invites participants to gather together, dwell in the stories of the Bible, and engage with the text and one another. With guided conversations and open-ended questions, everyone is invited to share thoughts, experiences, and similarities in these roundtable discussions that approach biblical stories honestly, wrestle with tough questions, and build community. Together by Grace sessions can be led by anyone, regardless of their level of biblical knowledge. Each study’s 8 sessions are flexible in format and length. Participant Guides and Facilitator Guides for the Matthew Romans studies are available for preorder now!

Summer Music Clinics

Join us this summer for our annual music clinics. This year’s phenomenal clinicians are Jennaya Robison (choral) and Jan Kraybill (organ). Check out our website to read more about these talented practitioners, explore the daily schedule, and register for a clinic in your area!

  • July 18–19, Columbia, S.C.
  • July 21–22, Columbus, Ohio
  • July 24–25, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • August 11–12, Twin Cities, Minn.
  • August 14–15, Chicago, Ill.

 

Partner Organization Resources and Events

Each month ELCA Worship highlights resources and events from other organizations and institutions. These Lutheran and ecumenical partner organizations work alongside the ELCA to support worship leaders, worship planners, musicians, and all who care about the worship of the church. ELCA Worship also features resources from Augsburg Fortress Publishers in a monthly blog post.

Lutheran Summer Music Academy & Festival

Transforming and connecting lives through faith and music since 1981.

Lutheran Summer Music 2025
Valparaiso University,Valparaiso, Ind.
June 22–July 20

Lutheran Summer Music (LSM) is delighted to announce the 2025 Worship Faculty of The Eugene and Mary Sukup Church Music Program, led by Cantor Chad Fothergill (LSM 2000). These gifted and highly respected leaders will guide students and the broader LSM community through a rich tapestry of sacred music experiences during morning and evening prayer, rehearsals, concerts, and more.

Whether you can join us in person or tune in from afar, we invite you to be part of this vibrant, creative community that nurtures the next generation of church musicians and breathes new life into the future of sacred music.

Learn more about LSM@LSMacademy.org

Let It Be With Me According to Your Word
Seminar on Lutheran Liturgy
Minneapolis, Minn., August 13-15

Registration is open now at www.seminarliturgy.org.

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians

ALCM nurtures and equips musicians to serve and lead the church’s song.

ALCM Conference 2025
Aug. 4-8
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

There is still time to register for this conference!  For all that is to be describes our effort to equip people in all stages of their love for music of the church. Whether you are a volunteer, part-time or full-time employed, a student, newly employed, or retired, this conference will nurture your passion for the many ways in which we continue to share the gospel message.

Registration is still available  – visit the conference website to register now. We look forward to seeing you in Raleigh!

Music that Makes Community

Rooted in Christian contemplative and activist traditions, Music That Makes Community envisions a liberative culture that empowers individuals and communities to claim and use the power of singing to heal our spirits, nurture our common lives, and work for justice. We offer resources, training, and encouragement to individuals, organizations, and communities in the dynamic power of singing to connect others and ourselves.

Training Events — Join us for the following events for continuing education, community building, professional development, and celebrating this practice of paperless communal song-sharing.

Monday Morning Grounding — This weekly online touchstone continues to offer song, silence, sacred text and community connection, Mondays at 10 a.m. Eastern / 7 a.m. Pacific until April 7. Register for the Zoom link here.

Resources – Read the MMC blog for articles a variety of topics.

Job Postings on Music That Makes Community website.

 Monthly Newsletter for regular updates on resources and events.

Journey to Baptismal Living: North American Associate for the Catechumenate

An ecumenical Christian community seeking to support seekers, whether baptized or not,  and those who accompany them on their journey of faith through the catechumenal process.

 

 

 

 

 

Resources from the Center for Church Music

The Center for Church Music is a place where one can tap into an expansive library of resources and perspectives on the music and art of the church, with a focus on a Lutheran context.

“Profiles in American Lutheran Church Music” presents video conversations with prominent church musicians The Life and Career of Richard Proulx, a conversation with Bob Batastini and Michael Silhavy, editors at GIA and The Current Scene, a conversation with Nancy Raabe, president of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, March 2023.

Sundays and Seasons: Guide to Worship Planning Year A

Sundays and Seasons supports comprehensive week-by-week planning with content and ideas for liturgy, music, preaching, and visuals that are shaped by the Revised Common Lectionary, the church year, and the assembly gathered around word and sacrament. Worship planners and leaders, preachers, presiding ministers, worship committees, musicians, visual artists, sacristans and altar guilds, and those who create congregational worship folders will find an indispensable companion in Sundays and Seasons as they prepare for worship each week. Sign up for a print subscription to receive your subsequent S&S materials when they are released!