In 2006, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church called upon the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to develop and revise Reconciliation Rites for the new century. Before the task of drafting liturgical materials for new rites begins, the Commission felt it would be helpful to gather wisdom from the wider Church. This volume is a beginning for this new work in progress. The editor asked a variety of people (lay and ordained and bishops, religious, academics, penitents, developers of new models, people in institutional ministries, people from various cultural and church backgrounds) to address questions, including:

- In the current rites and practices of reconciliation, what works and what doesn't?
- What's missing?
- How have the needs for such rites changed?
- What new sorts of rites might we need?
- What sort of rites might serve churches in their ethnic diversity?