Indianapolis - A new initiative in Christian worship is being developed by a group of people from Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and Reformed Churches in the United States and Canada. The convener of the group is the Rev. Fritz West, Ph.D., a pastor and liturgical scholar of the United Church of Christ.
At a meeting in Chicago, November 21-23, 2003, organizers adopted a name and mission:
The Association for Reformed and Liturgical Worship (AR&LW), a voluntary association of congregations and individuals, covenants with God's help, to cultivate, practice, and promote worship that offers a foretaste of the fullness of God's Reign. This worship is Trinitarian, ecumenical, incarnational and sacramental; it is both universal and local and sends the church to live its liturgy, bringing God's justice and grace to all of God's creation.
The new organization embraces and advocates the scripturally grounded, historically shaped, and ecumenically acknowledged patterns of liturgy - its movements and vocabulary and significance. According to a preparatory document, drafted by Presbyterian scholar Arlo Duba, the AR&LW will concentrate its attention upon the central elements of Christian worship, especially the Word read and preached, the bath of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. It will seek to facilitate and further the movement in worship that culminated in the ecumenically developed worship books, beginning with the Lutheran Book of Worship, published in 1978, and reaching their culmination in the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship, published in 1993.
At the same time such worship engages with culture both by adapting to the thought and language of contemporary life and by challenging every culture to conform to the Gospel as the churches offer their thankful praise to God who comes to us in Jesus Christ.
The new Association aspires to provide mutual support, edification, fellowship, consultation and resources for people who believe that authentic worship is the primary expression of Christian theology, giving shape to Christian life. It will seek to assist congregations in the reception of corporate worship and models for public prayer found in their worship books, engaging musicians, lay persons adept at worship, pastors and professional leaders of congregations.
Charter membership in the association begins in 2004, the inaugural gathering to take place July 3-8, 2004, in association with the Summer Institute of Liturgy and Worship sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry of Seattle University. Both the Association and the Seattle Institute are designed to reflect on worship theologically in a context is shaped and inspirited by worship.
The AR&LW will convene on Saturday afternoon, July 3, 2004, continuing through the next day. Reflection sessions for Association participants will be conducted during the Institute, with the final founding event of the Association falling on July 8. The Institute for Liturgy and Worship will begin on the afternoon of Sunday, July 4, and conclude on Friday, July 9.
One of the principle convictions of the organizers of the AR&LW is that this classic mode of worship holds the promise of a renewed church, a vitally alive church, and a spiritually vibrant church. The recovery of a sacramental vision of worship can be a constructive course of action for congregations that often are victims in the worship wars of our generation, and can be the central focus for our unity in Jesus Christ.
Information about the Association for Reformed and Liturgical Worship will soon be posted on the Web site of the Presbyterian Association of Musicians: horeb.pcusa.org/pam/.
For more information, contact:
Keith Watkins
300 West 8th St., Unit 236; Vancouver, WA 98660
(360) 699-1301Fritz West
200 Oak Knoll Drive; Marine on Saint Croix, MN 55047
(651) 433-4058