Martin Luther once said: “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me…” Preaching God’s word in the Bible is central to our worship life as ELCA Lutherans. Our hymns, our prayers, our readings, our sermons all focus on the Word being proclaimed in our midst. Weekly worship is an important part of our faith lives and our congregation’s identity. But sometimes it is hard to find someone to lead worship and preach. Perhaps your pastor or deacon is away for vacation or continuing education and you haven’t been able to find someone to lead worship and preach. Maybe your congregation’s pastor or deacon is suddenly ill and can’t lead worship. Perhaps you are a congregation in transition and you have run into several weeks that a worship leader and preacher is not available. You may have wondered: if the word and the Bible is so important in worship, what should we do when it is hard to find a worship leader or preacher?
Here are a few resources for you if your congregation runs into this situation:
- Video sermons and sermon manuscripts by the synod staff. Click here to view the Summer Sermon Series. These sermons can be used on any Sunday throughout the year. If you have the available technology, you can play the sermon video in worship. Otherwise, a lay leader can read the sermon manuscript. Synod staff also provides sermons for the Sunday after Christmas and the Sunday after Easter.
- In place of a sermon, you can hold a hymn sing led by congregation lay leaders and musicians. This service can contain extra music, the normal readings and prayers, and perhaps stories about how favorite hymns came to be.
- You can consider having a few members of the congregation preach on occasional Sundays. There is an amazing class provided by Faith+Lead that can help lay preachers learn more about the art of preaching by clicking: You've Been Asked to Preach: Now What?
- The synod’s Worship Supply list can be found on the Worship Supply webpage. This list contains pastors, deacons, and lay preachers who are known to the synod who are available to preach when your pastor or deacon is away or when your congregation is in times of transition.
Preaching is a significant responsibility and honor. As ELCA Lutherans, we bring a very specific theological perspective to our preaching that values God’s word and focuses on grace and the welcome of all people. It is important that those who are preaching in our congregations express this theological perspective. For that reason, it matters who is preaching in our pulpits and congregations.
- ELCA pastors and deacons, including retired pastors and deacons are allowed to preach in ELCA congregations. Pastors and deacons from denominations that we have full communion partnerships with are invited to preach in ELCA congregations. These denominations include: The Presbyterian Church (USA), the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church, and the United Methodist Church.
- There are other denominations, including other Lutheran bodies, that do not share our theological perspectives on grace, communion practices, leadership, and welcome. Preachers from these denominations should not be used for pulpit supply or preaching by ELCA congregations.
It is our hope that this resource can help congregations consider the many options open to them to help with preaching and worship leadership during a time of transition or if a pastor or deacon is away from the congregation. Please contact us with any concerns or questions that you may have.
+Synod Minister Heather Culuris
E-mail: [email protected]