ELW

ELW is an acronym that can refer to multiple topics depending on context.

In religious contexts, ELW stands for Evangelical Lutheran Worship, a hymnal and service book published in 2006 by Augsburg Fortress for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and related Lutheran bodies. The ELW includes hymns, liturgies, prayers, and psalm settings used in worship, and it serves as a modern successor to earlier Lutheran worship books such as the Lutheran Book of Worship. It is commonly used by congregations in North America and has influenced liturgical practices beyond the United States.

In German-speaking emergency services, ELW stands for Einsatzleitwagen, a class of mobile incident command vehicles used to coordinate operations during major incidents. These vehicles function as portable command posts with communications and data-processing capabilities to support on-scene decision-making. Variants exist, including ELW 1 and ELW 2, which differ in size and equipment to suit police, fire, or civil defense needs.

Other uses of the acronym may occur in different organizations or regions, but Evangelical Lutheran Worship and Einsatzleitwagen are the most widely recognized meanings. The intended meaning of ELW is typically clear from the context, especially when the term appears in religious service settings or in discussions of emergency management and public safety.