Our Hymnal

“Praise the Lord!  Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of the godly!” –Psalm 149:1

In 2011 the voters’ assembly of Mighty Fortress unanimously voted to adopt the Lutheran Service Book (2006) as our primary hymnal for worship.  Having used the Lutheran Hymnal (1941) and the Service Book & Hymnal (1958) in our congregation, and with our members also being familiar with the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982), the Lutheran Service Book is about the most thoughtful revision of traditional Lutheran worship and hymnody in existence.  If you are familiar with any of the aforementioned hymnals, you’ll be quite comfortable with the Lutheran Service Book.  It combines hymn traditions from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, including German, Anglican, and Scandinavian traditions.  We know you will enjoy using this worship resource!

On November 6-8, 2016 at the Good Shepherd Institute held at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, the 10th anniversary of LSB was commemorated.  Addressing the assembly was The Rev. Dr. Paul Grime, dean of the chapel and professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at the Fort Wayne seminary, who served as executive director for the LCMS Commission on Worship at the time that LSB was published.  He said, “Along with the catechism and the Bible, LSB is one of the treasures that forms our Christian piety; word and song together burrow deeply into our hearts.”

“For many, LSB has become a unifying book across our Synod,” added Peter Reske, senior editor of Music/Worship at Concordia Publishing House.  “It has been so well received.  And if you haven’t explored the hymnal yet, now is a great opportunity.  Your old favorite hymn may not be in there, but your new favorite hymn is.”

Published in August 2006, LSB is used by 85 percent of all LCMS congregations, and many AALC congregations, with 1.1 million individual copies sold.  We are now using the same hymnal as the rest of the LCMS congregations in the Seward Circuit, and most of the congregations in the Nebraska District.