The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH) is one of the official hymnals of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Published in 1941 by Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis, Missouri, it was the LCMS' second official English-language hymnal, succeeding the 1912 Evangelical Lutheran Hymn-Book. Development of TLH began in 1929 as a collaborative effort of the churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America and became the common hymnal for both the LCMS and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Containing 668 chorales, hymns, carols, and chants, plus the liturgy for the Common Service, Matins, Vespers, the propers, collects and prayers, the suffrages, canticles, psalms, and miscellaneous tables, TLH became an extremely popular and beloved worship resource in the Lutheran church in North America, and attempts to succeed it in more recent years have often met with strong resistance. A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ... LCMS redirects here. ... See also: 1940 in literature, other events of 1941, 1942 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Concordia Publishing House is the official publisher for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... LCMS redirects here. ... The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America was a Lutheran joint fellowship (in this sense, a declaration of unity of belief) organization between the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). ... WELS Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) is a United States religious denomination belonging to the Lutheran tradition within Christianity. ... A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Chant is the rhythmic speaking or singing of words or sounds, either on a single pitch or with a simple melody involving a limited set of notes and often including a great deal of repetition or statis. ... For the Anglican service of Mattins see Morning Prayer Matins is the early morning prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. ... In Christian liturgy, a collect is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer. ... Mary Magdalene in prayer. ... A canticle is a hymn (strictly excluding the Psalms) taken from the Bible. ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi (songs sung to a harp, originally from psallein play on a stringed instrument), Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ... Lutheranism is a movement within Christianity that began with the theological insights of Martin Luther in the 16th century. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

The first attempt to replace TLH began in 1965, when the LCMS began work on the Lutheran Book of Worship and invited other Lutheran denominations in North America to participate in its creation. As a result of disagreement and compromise with the other churches involved in LBW's production, the LCMS objected to some of its content, and Lutheran Book of Worship was published in 1978 without the endorsement of the very church body that initiated its production. An LCMS revision of LBW was quickly published in 1982 under the title Lutheran Worship. Lutheran Worship (LW) was intended to replace TLH as the official hymnal of the LCMS; however, many congregations were still unsatisfied with the final product, leading them to continue using TLH. According to a 1999 survey by the LCMS' Commission on Worship, approximately 36% of the synod's congregations were still using TLH as their main hymnal, and even more were continuing to use it in combination with LW and/or other hymnals and hymnal supplements. An even newer hymnal, Lutheran Service Book (2006), has restored many of the former hymnal's features in the hope that more widespread use can be achieved. In the WELS, TLH was effectively replaced by Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal in 1993, and few congregations continue to use it on a regular basis. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Lutheran Book of Worship is a hymnal and prayer book used by several Lutheran denominations in North America. ... A denomination, in the Christian sense of the word, is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and/or doctrine. ... See also: 1977 in literature, other events of 1978, 1979 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1981 in literature, other events of 1982, 1983 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Lutheran Worship is one of the official hymnals of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. ... A congregation is the group of members who make up a local Christian church or Jewish synagogue (or those who are present at a service thereat), as opposed to the building itself. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The Lutheran Hymnal is commonly referred to by many to as the "Red hymnal," in contrast with LW, the "Blue hymnal". However, the "Red hymnal" moniker is somewhat misleading. The initial editions of TLH were in fact bound in blue, and the hymnal has been simultaneously available in both red and blue cover versions for much of its history. Although the red cover version is now more common, many congregations' pew racks are filled with blue-covered copies of the "red" hymnal. Generally, members of these congregations refer to TLH simply as "the old hymnal". The advent of Lutheran Service Book (LSB) [1] is anticipated to begin the process of resolving the LCMS' hymnal controversy, as initial reviews have been generally quite favorable. Concordia Publishing House has anounced that all TLH-related supplemental materials, including specialized accompaniment editions and the agenda, will go out of print when current supplies are depleted, but plans to continue to produce the pew edition for the forseeable future. TLH remains an officially sanctioned hymnal of the synod, and it is unlikely that the synod will ever formally decommission it as an official hymnal.

External links

• Project Wittenberg - The Lutheran Hymnal
• Lutheran-Hymnal.com - The Lutheran Hymnal Online
• LCMS: A Brief History of LCMS Hymnals