Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod

The life of Wisconsin Synod congregations centers around worship in Word and sacrament. Evangelistic and educational ministries are oriented around the liturgy, and the role of other ministries within the denomination is shaped by the degree to which they are integrated into congregational worship life. Members of the twelve hundred congregations affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod are generally agreed that public worship is the most important activity of a Christian congregation. A higher percentage of the Synod's members, by far, attend Sunday services than participate in organized or informal Bible study. Most pastors spend more time planning and preparing for worship, along with the Sunday sermon, than they do for other congregational activities. With few exceptions, new congregations build churches before they erect schools, educational buildings, or fellowship buildings. Probably, few lay people could articulate a rationale for this attitude toward public…