The latest installment in the Worship Matters series has arrived! Preparing the Assembly’s Worship: A Handbook for Worship Planning supports pastors, lay people, planning committees, and anyone else involved in the Understanding, Preparing, Enacting, and Reviewing of Worship.
There are 27 other titles to explore in this series that draw you deeper into the hows and whys of worship in your community. Check out all of these titles here.
We spoke with author Craig Mueller about the many ways this resource can support your ministry.
Who do you hope reads Preparing the Assembly’s Worship, and how do you hope it can make a difference?
Preparing the Assembly’s Worship was written to assist rostered leaders, musicians, and laity in designing liturgies that flow our inherited tradition while being contemporary—creative and meaningful to today’s worshippers. When I was a nerdy teenager, I created bulletins for imaginary churches, and throughout my ministry it has been a joy and privilege to select hymns and prepare texts and ritual for the Sunday assembly. I hope readers will also delight in the opportunity to plan and prepare worship.
What challenges faced in worship planning and preparation does this book address? Would there be one or two that you’d highlight?
I’ll mention a few. The book addresses the occasional challenge of clergy-musician relationships. A chapter on “things that come up” considers how to introduce change and how to deal with services that run long, for example. There is also a section on reviewing previous liturgies and conducting rehearsals, two things that are not always common in some congregations.
This book is titled Preparing the Assembly’s Worship rather than “Planning” the Assembly’s Worship. What is the relationship or distinction between preparing and planning? How does this book help its readers do both?
The rites and symbols passed on to us reflect common practices of the church throughout the ages and throughout the world. In some ways, we are not planning worship; we are preparing it. We are not starting from scratch. Instead, we have a reservoir filled with many treasures from the past. At the same time, we are planning. We have hymn and liturgical texts choices to make. From planning we move to preparing, as worship leaders go over and sometimes rehearse important liturgies.
What is one piece of content in this book that might surprise the reader?
Some congregations use the same portions of the liturgy each Sunday, such as the confession and creed. A helpful chart in the book assists worship planners to vary the church year seasons. You don’t have to do everything every Sunday but it’s important to have some general principles to guide you. Sometimes less is more.
Why are you passionate about worship planning and preparation?
Sunday is my favorite day of the week! Worship has the potential to take us out of our everyday lives to encounter transcendence, meaning, and community. When the lectionary, congregational song, and preaching are coordinated, grace is poured out on the assembly. We worship church refreshed and eager to live our faith in the world.
What would people be missing out on if they don’t buy this book?
Worship leaders come with different experience and training regarding worship. This would be a great book for the pastor (or rostered leader), church musician, and worship committee in your congregation to read and discuss. Regardless of our context, there is always room for continued worship reform and renewal.
Preparing the Assembly's Worship is available right now at augsburgfortress.org!
Check out the rest of the Worship Matters series! Featuring handbooks, sourcebooks, and studies, these resources will help you gain a richer understanding of Lutheran worship and explore why we gather, how we encounter God in worship, and how that encounter shapes our response in both our communities and our world. A resources for each worship aspect and more is ready to support you in your ministry.
