2010 Symposium on Worship and Outreach

September 20-21, 2010

Many Christian churches and denominations are involved these days in debates over worship and outreach, and the issues are producing lively discussions in our own congregations as well. We Lutherans are committed to reaching out to the lost in our cities and neighborhood, although we often struggle to find the best ways to share the gospel in ways that are consistent with Lutheran teaching. The struggle to balance gospel outreach with confessional Lutheranism may be most difficult when it comes to public worship: How do we plan public worship in a way that attracts the seeker to hear the Spirit’s message and at the same time is a faithful proclamation of the Spirit’s message?

There are loud voices on today’s Christian and Lutheran scene that suggest a commitment to reach the lost and a desire to retain the historic emphases of Lutheran liturgical worship are incompatible. The Symposium on Worship and Outreach will explore these issues and offer a perspective that worship and outreach need not be mutually exclusive, pitted against each other, or outside the parameters of Lutheran history and practice. With the Spirit’s guidance, the symposium will offer an encouragement to participants to strive for excellence in both gospel-centered worship and gospel-proclaiming outreach.

For further information, please see the symposium brochure.

To view/download the papers presented, click on the Read More link below. The reactions to the papers are appended to the end of each paper’s file, scroll to the end of the paper to view it.