Janet Peterman presents a variety of healing and comforting rituals that can be used in situations that are likely to be encountered in congregations but yet are not typically treated in standard liturgies. Peterman offers her reflections on the significance of rituals and discusses new rituals. She includes a broad spectrum of rituals for personal use, for life in the home or at church, for use in the wider community, or for help in leading to transformation. She concludes by describing a seven-step process for creating new rituals and suggests ways to adapt existing worship materials for use in new settings. This much-needed resource will help pastors and lay leaders develop their own skills and insights for creating liturgies and rituals that provide relief, healing, and support for those in congregations who are faced with critical and life-altering situations.

Janet S. Peterman served as pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Philadelphia for more than twenty years. She holds an MDiv degree from Harvard Divinity School. She is the recipient of a sabbatical grant for church professional leaders from the Louisville Institute and two grants from the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith.