Title: FEATURE: Lutherans Bring Back the 'Revival' ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 6, 2007
FEATURE: Lutherans Bring Back the 'Revival' 07-185-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Over the summer a white, circus-sized tent appeared on the grounds of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Troy, N.Y., garnering looks of interest from all who passed by, according to Marilyn Dyer. Although known throughout the community for its "innovative approach to ministry," St. Timothy reached a high point in its aspiration for doing things differently by organizing a "revival" or "renewal" -- an evangelism and worship trend currently making its way across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Although the congregation heard plans for the revival for more than a year, there seemed to be general skepticism, said Greg Whitney, member of St. Timothy and chair of the committee that organized the revival. Amid the skepticism, the committee proceeded with its plans and publicized the revival through public service announcements, newspaper articles and ads, securing food donations, music and more.
"God is the one who made the revival happen," said Whitney. Members of the church who had expressed some skepticism attended the revival and "not only did they come, but they were blessed and felt God's presence. I think revivals will catch on more in the church once people move beyond their preconceived notions about what are revivals. Once we experience it we'll learn more and take part in worship as a way of listening more to God," he said.
"The word 'revival' has a reputation for being fundamental," said Dyer, but the revival at St. Timothy "was a very moving, lovely experience. Those who attended learned that the word 'revival' is not to be feared and can, in fact, be an unexpected spiritual reawakening."
Dyer, a member of St. Timothy for more than 30 years, said that "stepping out of the box in worship allows for new expressions of faith, a new understanding that different doesn't mean bad or weird. Faith comes in all shapes and sizes, and we know that Christ called the unusual to be his disciples."
More than 100 people attended each day of St. Timothy's three-day revival in August. "The planning and execution of the revival was a remarkable blessing for the congregation. New leaders emerged, and the energy and excitement following the revival has led to plans for increased outreach in the community, so that all will know God's love," said the Rev. Kimberly R. Cottingham, St. Timothy.
St. Timothy is one of more than 20 congregations of the ELCA that have organized a revival, but the "numbers are much higher because congregations have partnered with three to as many as six Lutheran churches in their community for one revival," said the Rev. Kathryn I. Love, director for prayer and renewal, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission.
Love said revival in the ELCA is "quite different from what you would experience with the 'Billy Grahams' of the world, who are seeking for people to become saved or to do some kind of great confession." She said revivals are not new in the Lutheran church and date back to the day of Martin Luther -- a 16th century German monk whose teachings founded the Lutheran tradition.
Lutherans "are using revival services as a safe place to pray for spiritual renewal, share stories and our testimonies," said Love. "When the intercessor at the revival asks, 'How can I pray for you,' I'm surprised that about 75 percent of the time (prayers) are not for the individual but for someone else. God is moving in our church through prayer. We are realizing that God is doing things through people, and this is our window of opportunity to assist in the ministries of the ELCA, equipping others to train, lead and support the promotion of the Gospel, so that people who do not understand the love of God may become rich in the knowledge of God's love for them and their communities," she said.
"'Revival' is a word that makes some Lutherans nervous because it has a history, especially associated with the 'Great Awakenings,' that seems to suggest that worship is about a gathering of individuals experiencing or coming to terms with their faith individually. In other words, it's people in the presence of other people but the communal dynamic can be lost in talk of a decision related to faith in God rather than what it means to be called and gathered into the people of God," said the Rev. Michael Burk, executive director, ELCA Worship and Liturgical Resources.
"So when it comes to a word like 'revival,' Lutherans often say, 'let's talk about renewal instead of or in addition to,' whereas maybe it's healthier to think that 'revival' is a word we too can claim," said Burk.
Revival in the ELCA is defined as "the work of the Holy Spirit, invigorating, molding and shaping congregations to do the will of God," said Love. "In Lutheran revival we desire God's spirit to rekindle in us the spirit of joy, hope, peace and love. In Lutheran revival services, we ask that these gifts be stirred up for the sake of mission and ministry, equipping our congregations as places where witnessing to the Good News is a way of life."
A fear among Lutherans, when they think about a revival, is "losing who we are as Lutherans," said Love. But "it seems to me that after every revival service people become excited about it, particularly after seeing the resources we've produced about Lutheran revivals. The resources have been instrumental in breaking down the barriers, the fears that (exist) in the beginning, and offer an opportunity for Lutherans to talk with one another about what revival really means to Lutherans."
Love said Lutheran revivals are centered on the sacraments, such as Holy Communion and the Word. "We have dipped ourselves into who we are as Lutherans, using the sacraments and services to fashion revivals that can be acceptable in the Lutheran Church," she said.
The resources include a DVD with companion booklet that shares the story of Lutheran revival, seasons of renewal and the Holy Spirit. Insights from the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, are featured.
The book "Renewing the Passion: A Guide to Spiritual Renewal" offers several revival worship models and outlines on how to plan a prayer event, conference, retreat and more.
The resources were developed as a result of the ELCA's evangelism strategy -- "Sharing Faith in a New Century: A Vision for Evangelism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America." Adopted by the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, the strategy has three overall objectives -- call the church to prayer, prepare and renew evangelical leaders, and teach discipleship.
Love said the third objective of the strategy contains the directive for congregations to "'host a variety of inspirational evangelical mass rallies, gatherings or revivals.'"
Churches don't have to pitch a tent, "but some congregations want to feel like they're in revival," said Love. Most revivals take place inside a church building, are organized by three or more congregations in the same town or extended community, and can take place over the course of three days. Most include meals served either before or after the revival. When three congregations are involved in a revival, each congregation hosts a day and/or evening in its church building.
Revival services took place Oct. 14-21 at all seven ELCA churches in the U.S. Virgin Islands -- Nazareth Lutheran Church, Cruz Bay (St. John); Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Thomas; Frederick Lutheran Church, Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas); Kingshill Lutheran Church, Kingshill (St. Croix); Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Frederiksted (St. Croix); Lord God of Sabaoth, Christiansted (St. Croix) and Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Estate Lavallee (St. Croix).
"Every church was filled to capacity. More people attended the revival services than we had expected," said the Rev. Themba Lancelot Mkhabela, Reformation. Mkhabela said members of the churches were encouraged to invite their families and friends to the revival. "We posted banners, bought airtime on radio stations and placed ads in newspapers about the revival. I was also interviewed on a WSTA radio talk show," said Mkhabela. These efforts "really paid off well."
The revivals were "very exciting, amazing. There was lots of music and prayer. We realized that people seemed to be the most moved by the prayers, especially by the laying on of hands and anointing with holy oil. I think there is a hunger in the church for getting back to the basics, like reading the Bible, engaging in Bible study, prayer, renewal and regeneration of our churches. People really want this; they want things that matter. They want to know what it means to be a Christian and what it means to lead life as a Christian. It is incumbent on the whole church to provide resources and opportunities for people to connect to our basic Christian values," said Mkhabela, adding that all seven churches in the U.S. Virgin Islands will continue "to build on this and focus on congregational renewal and regeneration. It was an entire church experience because of the support we've received from the ELCA Churchwide Office, ELCA Caribbean Synod, and others."
Three ELCA congregations in Omaha, Neb., hosted the "River City Renewal" Oct. 10-12. Worship at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church on Oct. 10 focused on renewal through the sacrament of baptism. Worship at Morning Star Lutheran Church on Oct. 11 focused on the sacrament of Holy Communion, and worship at First Lutheran Church focused on renewal through "the Word." As part of the revival, First Lutheran hosted a 'block party,' which included a cookout, Mariachi band, prayer stations and more.
"Our first and primary goal was spiritual renewal and revival for all who attended," said the Rev. Fred Landsberg, St. Timothy, as well as "supporting the ELCA's evangelism strategy." He said another goal was to build bridges -- build cooperation with area congregations in the urban and suburban areas of Omaha.
About 400 people attended the first service "to celebrate and be revived by God's Spirit. People came for prayer to confess, be touched by God and be healed. A massed choir of 60 people from all three churches sang. It was an evening to be remembered," said Landsberg.
"We want to be a witness to congregations in the ELCA Nebraska Synod, (illustrating) that cooperation among congregations is important and good. This is the first time we've done this, and (we) hope it'll further spark activities among congregations here," he said.
Revivals in the ELCA "are happening a lot more quickly than we initially thought," said the Rev. Mary C. Francis, assistant director for new starts, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission.
"It was two years ago this past August that Kathryn (Love) came to have lunch with me and asked how I would like to host a revival at church. It clicked right away with me, and I knew that was the thing to do. At that point, I had been pastor of the church for 10 days. And within three months, we held a revival. (Subsequently,) three revivals were held in Chicago and more in the greater Chicago area," said Francis, who is one of 17 ELCA pastors who serve as "revivalists."
The revivalists are sent "two by two," said Love, and clergy are Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska-Native, African Descent, European American, and Latino/Latina. "We try our best to make it multicultural. This is an important piece for me," she said.
"Revivalists are also not compensated," said Love, noting that almost 70 percent of the time there is no offering taken during a revival. "If there is money collected it's given to an ELCA ministry, such as Lutheran Disaster Response or the ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal. That's what makes (Lutherans) different. We are not filling our pockets. We're trying to get people to look into their souls, so that they can prepare themselves to do the work and ministry God's asks for," she said.
"The revivalists are taking from their time to make this happen because they sense that this is a call from God and the church," said Love. "We depend solely on the Holy Spirit to move the people of the church to a place where they sense a need to be revived." - - -
The ELCA evangelism strategy is at
http://www.ELCA.org/visionevangelism/strategysummary.pdf and information about ELCA renewal and revival is at http://www.ELCA.org/evangelizingchurch on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog