Sola Scriptura Worship Setting

In support of congregations in Lutheran Core, NALC, LCMC, and others, this year Sola Publishing will be releasing a number of worship resources. Many of these will come in the form of free downloadable files that can be used and "tested" in congregations. We seek advice and constructive feedback from churches that give them a try:

The Sola Scriptura Setting

A Spoken Liturgy for Holy Communion
— using Scripture Verses for Dialog and Prayers

This setting of the service for Holy Communion is being made available from Sola as a free downloadable file. The spoken dialog and prayers in this setting are taken directly from the English Standard Version (ESV), with the appropriate citations listed throughout. Verses were chosen to convey the same sense and meaning found in the traditional liturgy, emphasizing the biblical basis for our worship.Since this is a spoken liturgy, relying on musical accompaniment only for congregational hymns, it is well-suited for places where professionally-trained accompanists or vocal soloists are not available to lead a musical setting of the liturgy.

• Individual Half-Page Format (download pdf)

• Pages Formatted for Printing Back-to-Back as a Booklet (download pdf)

Other free worship-related materials can be found on Sola's website: www.solapublishing.org under "Free Sola Resources" — including lectionary resources and prayers.

NALC bishop and LCMS president join American religious leaders in defending marriage and religious freedom

Bishop John Bradosky of the North American Lutheran Church has joined other American Christian leaders and religious leaders from other faith communities in an open letter defending marriage and religious freedom.

“Marriage and Religious Freedom: Fundamental Goods That Stand or Fall Together — An Open Letter from Religious Leaders in the United States to All Americans” was released on Thursday, Jan. 12.

“As religious leaders across a wide variety of faith communities, we join together to affirm that marriage in its true definition must be protected for its own sake and for the good of society,” the letter states.

“We encourage all people of good will to protect marriage as the union between one man and one woman, and to consider carefully the far-reaching consequences for the religious freedom of all Americans if marriage is redefined,” the letter says.

The letter notes that changing the definition of marriage will change hundreds of laws. It also states that those who hold to traditional religious beliefs about marriage would face discrimination and legal sanctions for holding to their faith if the definition of marriage is changed.

“We especially urge those entrusted with the public good to support laws that uphold the time-honored definition of marriage, and so avoid threatening the religious freedom of countless institutions and citizens in this country. Marriage and religious freedom are both deeply woven into the fabric of this nation,” the letter says.

In addition to Bishop Bradosky, signers to the letter include leaders from a wide range of Christian church bodies — from Roman Catholics and Anglicans to Baptists and Pentecostals.

The Rev. Matthew Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, was among the 39 signatories.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and some other liberal Protestant church bodies did not have any leaders sign the letter.

“Being bold in on our confession of Christ to a hostile culture is never easy. There are times when making a stand for what we believe brings us into relationship with those of diverse theological perspectives. That is certainly the case among those who have joined together to sign the statement released today regarding the preservation of religious freedom, the sanctity of marriage, and the definition of marriage preserved in the Scripture and the faithful interpretation of the Scriptures over thousands of years,” said Bishop Bradosky.

“While we believe these understandings and values are essential for the good of all people in our nation and throughout the world, and further believe that political pressure exerted on the church to acquiesce or redefine marriage according to relativistic cultural understandings is a perversion of rights guaranteed by our Constitution, it is abhorrent to us because it is contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures. The definition of marriage is established by the Creator, affirmed by the Savior and blessed by the Holy Spirit. It is therefore impossible for the Church to redefine or acquiesce to such changes and remain faithful.

“It is sad to admit that our culture has reached a point where such a statement is necessary, and yet it is for just such a time as this that the Lord has called the North American Lutheran Church into being, to be able to make such a stand and offer our support to this important cause,” Bishop Bradosky said. “For all those reasons I am honored to sign this document.”

In December of 2010, Bishop Paull Spring of the NALC joined other American religious leaders in signing “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment.”

The letter including the list of signers is available online at www.thenalc.org. A list of frequently asked questions and an executive summary are also available online.

A press release from the United States Conference of is available here.

Sola Publishing - New Resources for 2012

Sola Publishing is proud to be a partner with Lutheran CORE in providing solid and trustworthy resources for Lutheran congregations. With your support, by the blessing of God, we continue to grow at an amazing rate!  We are pleased to let you know about a number of new resources that have just been released for the new year.

New Sola Titles for January 2012

1) Sola Confirmation Series: Lord’s Prayer, by Pastor Steven King, finishes out the four core curriculum books, also including: Ten Commandments, Apostles’ Creed, and Sacraments.

2) Luke, the newest in Pastor Kent Groethe’s “Old Places, New Faces” Series, is a twelve-session Bible study focusing on the Gospel of Luke.

3) VBS: The Adventures of Paul is this year’s installment in Sola’s Versatile Budget Series.  Think your church is too small for VBS?  Take a look at Sola’s all-in-one reproducible booklet, designed especially for small congregations.

4) The Drama Series: Invited to the Banquet of the King is a five-part series based on the elements of Christian worship, suitable for weekly Lenten services.

5) Sola now offers two new educational poster sets for Sunday School: Attendance Posters and Classroom Posters.  Each includes six full-color 11x17 inch posters.

6) Sola also has new Certificates for Baptism and Confirmation.  These 8.5 x 5.5 inch certificates come in a pack of 12, with 12 matching envelopes.

7) The Word of God – Weekly Lectionary Inserts can be ordered as copy-ready reproducible pdf documents, featuring Scripture texts from the ESV: English Standard Version.

For more information on these new resources, please click on the underlined links above to go directly to the Sola website.

Lutheran leader to speak in Sioux Falls about crisis in ELCA and about new Lutheran church body

The Rev. Mark Chavez, General Secretary of the North American Lutheran Church, will be leading a workshop in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Saturday, Dec. 10, for individuals and congregations who are interested in learning more about the new church body.

Pastor Chavez will be speaking at 1 p.m. at Sioux Falls Seminary. His presentation will include information on the crisis of teaching in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and an explanation of why the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) was created as an alternative for Lutheran congregations.

Following Pastor Chavez’s presentation, there will be an panel discussion including Pastor Chavez; the Rev. Rich Merkouris of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls; the Rev. Tom Walker of Heritage Lutheran Church in Brandon; the Rev. Sandra Soye of Heritage Lutheran Church in Brandon; and the Rev. Randy Eisenbeisz of Hayti, S.D., who is the NALC’s dean for its Eastern South Dakota Mission District.

Pastor Chavez, who lives in Landisville, Pa., became the General Secretary of the NALC in September. He has a long history in efforts to reform the ELCA. He served as the director of Lutheran CORE (Coalition for Renewal) six years and as vice president and director of the WordAlone Network for 10 years.

Lutheran CORE is a coalition of renewal movements. It began in November 2005 as a “coalition for reform” in efforts to maintain Biblical teaching in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The WordAlone Network was one of the reform movements that founded and made up Lutheran CORE. As the ELCA continued to move away from traditional Christian teaching, Lutheran CORE’s focus moved to a “coalition for renewal,” seeking to unite confessional Lutherans regardless of their church body affiliation. The NALC is one of three church bodies that are members of Lutheran CORE.

Pastor Chavez is in the area to speak to a local ELCA congregation that is exploring its options concerning the changing theological Lutheran landscape.

The North American Lutheran Church was constituted Aug. 26-27, 2010, in Grove City,
Ohio. The NALC has been growing rapidly since then. Nearly 300 congregations, representing more than 100,000 Lutherans, have joined the NALC in its first year.

The NALC embodies the theological center of Lutheranism in North America. It is a church body committed to the authority of the Bible as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life. The NALC believes all doctrines should and must be judged by the teaching of Scripture.

The NALC is committed to shaping its life around four core values: Christ-Centered, Mission-Driven, Traditionally-Grounded, and Congregationally-Focused.”

The NALC is a church body committed to shaping its life by the teaching of the Bible and to carry out Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

Most NALC congregations and members left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America because they believe the ELCA no longer uses the Bible as the sole basis of its faith and life.

The ELCA lost hundreds of congregations and more than 300,000 members in 2009 and
2010, according to statistics released by the ELCA in August. Many more congregations have left the ELCA in 2011 and even more congregations are expected to leave.

All individuals and congregations who are interested in learning more about the crisis in the ELCA or about the NALC are welcome. Information about the NALC is available online at www.thenalc.org.

NALC News for November

Here is what you can read in the NALC News for November:

+ Regional Mission Districts are organizing.

+ 2012 Convocations to be in Minnesota.

+ NALC prepares to welcome Canadian congregations.

+ NALC retirement and insurance plans are approved. Enrollment has begun.

+ Orders of Creation to be theme of Canadian theological conference.

+ Endorser approved for NALC military chaplains.

+ Model Constitution for Congregations updated.

+ Ordination in Minnesota.

+ St. Dysmas, new NALC congregation, to do ministry inside California prisons.

+ "The Reading of the Holy Scriptures is central to Lutheran Worship" by Pastor Michael G. Tavella.

+ "An Effective Stewardship Campaign Model" - "In Pursuit of the Great Commission" by Pastor Don Brandt.

+ Bishop Bradosky's address to the Association for Church Renewal.

+ Update on NALC congregation flooded by Hurricane Irene.

ELCA pastor teams up with pagan High Priestess

Read the latest from HerChurch, an ELCA congregation in California:

From World Net Daily:

Christian church teams up with high priestess of Isis
Famous denomination welcoming paganism with guided meditations

New: Sola Lectionary Scripture Inserts

NEW FROM SOLA PUBLISHING:

The Word of God

Lectionary Scripture Inserts

Ready for Advent 2011, Sola is now producing Lectionary Scripture Inserts for weekly worship, as electronically delivered PDF copy masters, able to be reproduced on a church's computer or photocopier.  Click HERE to see a full-size copy-ready sample. The inserts include:

a) Three Appointed Readings: First and Second Readings, Gospel
    - featuring the English Standard Version of Scripture (ESV) 
    - using the LC-MS version of the Revised Common Lectionary*

b) Psalm Text (pointed for chanting) 
    - using the traditional Psalm texts, as used in the LBW

c) Prayer of the Day (Collects)
    - translated from the traditional/historical sources 

A seperate RTF sheet will provide Scripture texts as well as suggested "Prayers of the Church" for worship leaders, editable for local use.

For those who order in 2011, you will receive the inserts and prayers for Advent-Christmas 2011 at no charge!  Your quarterly subscription will begin in 2012.

HOW TO ORDER:  The inserts are being made available as an ongoing subscription for those who have a congregational account with Sola. Please contact our regular customer service number 1-(888) 887-9840 to start a subscription, and/or to set up a congregational account (all you need is: name, address, phone, email).

DELIVERY and BILLING: The inserts will be sent quarterly as a copy-ready PDF file, including the lessons for the upcoming three months. A 'plain text' RTF file will also be sent for those who may prefer to cut and paste text into their bulletins. The email to which the files are attached will include the quarterly invoice for the congregation, at a subscription rate of only $20 per quarter (including permission to reproduce as many copies as the congregation requires).  The subscription will continue unless cancelled. A valid email address is required. 

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* A NOTE ON THE RECOMMENDED LECTIONARY VERSION:

In consultation with leaders of NALC, LCMC, CALC, and Lutheran CORE, Sola is recommending the use of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod version of the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), as found in the Lutheran Service Book (LSB), from Concordia Publishing House. Used with Permission.  Lectionary inserts and other worship-support products produced by Sola Publishing will be based on this version of the RCL, rather than the ELCA version. (Go HERE to see a schedule of the texts for the year.)