Beginnings…

In February of 2018, while completing my final year at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fr. Heath Curtis asked me to edit the second edition of his Daily Divine Service Book (DDSB). The preface of the first edition laments that the Lutheran Church in North America has not yet produced a missal. In recognition of this profound lacking in our liturgical resources, Fr. Curtis compiled and self-published the first edition of DDSB, even while admitting that the initial form was somewhat unpolished. “It is my hope to offer a second edition with gilt edges, beautiful binding, sewn in ribbons, and rubrics that are actually ruber sometime in the future” (Preface to the First Edition, 10).

After agreeing to edit the second edition, it soon became clear that the English-speaking Lutheran Church would be best served by a true missal, rather than a second edition of DDSB. Fr. Curtis willingly gave his blessing, and The Lutheran Missal project was born. Our objective is to grace the missal-less stands of our church altars with a beautiful resource that is faithful both to the liturgical heritage of Western Christendom and to the evangelical teachings of the Lutheran Church. May God grant it for Christ’s sake.