The Good Shepherd Institute: Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music for the Church

For All His Benefits

The Preparation of Service Books & Hymnals in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, from 1941 to the Present

By the Reverend Dr. D. Richard Stuckwisch (Online Giving Code: GSI-4)

Purpose

The Church’s service books and hymnals are among the primary bearers of her sacred heritage, because they deliver the Gospel to the people of God—from week to week, and from one generation to the next. They serve and support the administration of the means of grace, and they preserve the pattern of sound words with which the Church confesses the faith and responds to the grace of God in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Even for such high and holy purposes, the actual preparation and publication of the Church’s service books and hymnals in each generation is a challenging task. There is an inevitable tension involved in preserving the integrity of the heritage received while conveying it faithfully to God’s people in a new day and age. The orders of service provide a continuity that ought to be both consistent and flexible. Only so many hymns, out of many thousands, can be included. Different interests and emphases, from a variety of perspectives, compete for a limited number of pages. There is the necessary political process of the Church on earth. Yet, by way of these human endeavors, the divine work of the Gospel is served for the sake of the Church.

The author examines how Lutheran hymnals and service books are formed, in order to provide an understanding and appreciation for those efforts; which will in turn encourage a more grateful usage of the Church’s books.
He documents the preparation and publication of several such books during a significant period of Lutheran history that continues to affect the present-day life of the Church in the United States.
He lays the groundwork for resolving some of the misconceptions and misunderstandings of this history, in the hopes that a more accurate picture of what has gone before will alleviate future consternation and mistakes.
He presents insights derived from this history, so that we may learn from the past and grow in faith and life.

Scope

The author begins with a brief overview of the early history of Lutheran hymnals and service books in America, with particular attention to the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). He discusses in more detail:

Efforts toward a revision of The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) in the 1950s and 1960s
LCMS involvement in the formation of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship in the mid-1960s
The history and work of the Inter-Lutheran Commission in the 1960s and 1970s, culminating in the publication of the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978)
LCMS development and publication of Lutheran Worship (1982)

Particular attention is given to the special challenges of hymnody and the understanding of eucharistic rites in these projects. The author concludes with reflections on developments since the early 1980s.

Rationale

The author offers insight into the way that hymnals and service books are developed, the influences that come to bear on the process, and the objectives that lie behind such plans—as evidenced within a particular context.
He discusses significant related subjects, such as church fellowship and the theology and practice of worship.
He chronicles the role of hymnody and eucharistic rites, which remain compelling issues in the Church today.
He preserves the record of an important segment of Lutheran history that has had consequences for the life of the Church; and his evaluation of this history serves as a guide for the future of the Church and its posterity.

Audience

The primary audience of the book is pastors and students of theology, church musicians, teachers, and interested laity. Readers from other church bodies will gain an understanding of Lutheran history and practice.

Length

The work will be a substantial book, but of moderate size, about 300 pages.

Outline of Chapters

Introduction and Background—The subject at hand; early history

Plans and progress toward a revision of The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) in the 1950s
The Service Book and Hymnal (1958) and inter-Lutheran relations in America
The 1965 LCMS Convention in Detroit, Michigan
The formation and work of the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW)
On-going work of the LCMS Commission on Worship
The Worship Supplement (1969)
Controversy among Lutherans over the ILCW eucharistic rites
LCMS resistance to the ILCW and its proposals
The 1977 LCMS Convention in Dallas, Texas
Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW, 1978) and the LCMS “Blue Ribbon” Committee
The revision of LBW by a new LCMS Commission on Worship
The publication and reception of Lutheran Worship (1982)

Conclusion—Developments since the 1980s; implications for the life of the Church

Credentials

The Reverend Dr. D. Richard Stuckwisch is the pastor of Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church, South Bend, Indiana, where he has served since his ordination in May 1996. Since 1998 he has served on the LCMS Lutheran Hymnal Project as a member of the Lectionary Committee and the Lord’s Supper working group of the Liturgy Committee.

Dr. Stuckwisch earned his Ph.D. in Liturgical Studies (history and theology) in 2002 from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana; he received an M.A. from Notre Dame in 1998. He earned his Master of Divinity (1993) and Master of Sacred Theology (2003) degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Sponsor Opportunities

The Good Shepherd Institute is grateful for your interest and support. Gifts to the institute via Concordia Theological Seminary are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.

Online Giving Code: (e.g. GSI-1)

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