Concordia Seminary, St. Louis will offer workshops throughout the United States designed especially for pastors, professional church workers and interested lay persons during the summer of 2005. The workshops span a broad range of subject matter and all are taught by members of the Concordia Seminary faculty.
The cost for each summer workshop is $110, except for “Church and State Issues from a Lutheran Perspective” (June 21-24), which is $195 and is limited to seven participants. Payment is due 24 days prior to the beginning of the workshop, and workshops have a minimum required enrollment. Housing and meal information may be obtained from the host pastor.
To register or receive further information, contact the office of continuing education and parish services at (314) 505-7123 or email[email protected] [1] .
2005 Summer Workshops
| Instructor: | Dr. Louis Brighton |
| Dates: | June 7-9, 2005 |
| Deadline: | May 17, 2005 |
| Site: | Our Savior’s Lutheran Church 63 Mountain View Ave. Albany, NY 12205 |
| Host: | Rev. Paul Koehn 518-459-2248 [email protected] [2] |
| Description: The Book of Revelation is the last message from the Lord Christ to His church until He comes at the End. The purpose of Revelation is to point us to the End by inspiring us through our faith in the exalted Lord Christ so as to look to the glory that awaits us, and to motivate us to carry out and complete the mission and work that He has given to us. Revelation has two foci or subject matters: Christology and Missiology. In Revelation eschatology is the historical time frame in which these two great topics are presented. The historical reference of this eschatological period extends from Christ’s ascension unto the second coming of the Son of Man at the End. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. James Brauer |
| Dates: | June 13-15, 2005 |
| Deadline: | May 23, 2005 |
| Site: | Immanuel Lutheran Church 605 S. Walnut Seymour, IN 47274 |
| Host: | Rev. Ralph Blomenberg 812-522-3118 [email protected] [3] |
| Description: It is said that worship style is flexible but worship content is not. What do the Lutheran Confessions really say about worship? How can they guide good pastoral choices? This exploration will be based on a forthcoming book of quotations from the BOOK OF CONCORD which identifies a Lutheran theology of worship. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Dale Meyer |
| Dates: | June 21-24, 2005 |
| Deadline: | May 31, 2005 |
| Site: | Luther Institute Washington DC |
| Description: An examination of some contemporary church-state issues from a Lutheran perspective. Politicians, staffers, and church-state experts will address the workshop on First Amendment issues, vouchers, role of lobbying, faith based initiatives, and the like. Limited to 7 participants. Registration fee $195. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. R. Reed Lessing |
| Dates: | July 11-13, 2005 |
| Deadline: | June 20, 2005 |
| Site: | Christ Lutheran Church 3901 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85018 |
| Host: | Rev. Jeff Schrank 602-955-4830 [email protected] [4] |
| Description: The “Left Behind” series of books and videos by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have impacted millions of people, causing chronic eschatological confusion. How do the authors read the Bible and come up with such wild interpretations? What is their understanding of “Israel,” “Church” and “prophecy”? And even more pressing, how does a Lutheran pastor respond to this “Left Behind” craze thoughtfully, confessionally and evangelically? These questions and more will be looked at in light of specific Old Testament texts (Ezekiel 38-39; Daniel 9; Zechariah 14 and others). Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of prophecy as well as a “ready-to-go” Adult Bible Class. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Andrew Bartelt |
| Dates: | July 11-13, 2005 |
| Deadline: | June 20, 2005 |
| Site: | North Dakota District Office Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 2601 23rd Ave. SW Fargo, ND 58103 |
| Host: | Rev. Clark Jahnke 701-282-4195 [email protected] [5] |
| Description: Connected to God’s promise and God’s people from the beginning, building on the offices of prophet, priest, and king, and focused on the Coming Christ, we will engage the story of God’s people in the First Testament as we confront the changes and challenges of pastoral ministry in today’s context. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Joel Biermann |
| Dates: | July 11-13, 2005 |
| Deadline: | June 20, 2005 |
| Site: | College Hill Lutheran Church Brammer Memorial Center 2321 Walnut Street Cedar Falls, IA 50613 |
| Host: | Rev. Tom Ogilvie 319-266-1274 [email protected] [6] |
| Description: This workshop will explore the liabilities of overextending the application of the Law-Gospel dynamic and allowing it to become a polarity, which inevitably swallows any ability to speak positively about the Law. The ultimate damage done to parishes and individual Christians as they succumb to antinomianism and/or legalism will be explored and discussed. It will be suggested that the two kinds of righteousness provides a much better and more Lutheran way of approaching the theological task in a home and parish setting. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Timothy Dost |
| Dates: | July 11-13, 2005 |
| Deadline: | June 20, 2005 |
| Site: | Holy Cross Lutheran Church 600 N. Greenwich Rd. Wichita, KS 67206 |
| Host: | Rev. Jeffrey Crane 316-684-5201 [email protected] [7] |
| Description: In this workshop we will examine passages and concepts from Luther useful for parish ministry. Regarding concepts, issues of the two kinds of righteousness, justification by grace through faith, the relationship between Holy Scripture and the Word and the Two or Three Kingdoms, anfechtungen (bad stuff and feelings) and other issues will be explored with special attention paid to passages of Luther useful to the parish pastor. In addition, passages from the letters and table talk, as well as presentations of accounts of Luther’s life and problems he faced will highlight issues for the parish pastor today. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Henry Rowold |
| Dates: | July 18-20, 2005 |
| Deadline: | June 28, 2005 |
| Site: | Concordia College 171 White Plains Rd. Bronxville, NY 10708 |
| Host: | Rev. Scott Ashmon [email protected] [8] |
| Description: Study of the Book of Job, particularly the crisis for faith and ministry that “undeserved” and often seemingly unbearable suffering present for the Christian and for the pastor. Close study of the dialog of Job and his friends, and the attempts of people, those suffering and those ministering, to make sense of the suffering. Finally, study of the dialog of God and Job, and the resolution of faith that emerges. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Joel Biermann |
| Dates: | August 1-3, 2005 |
| Deadline: | July 11, 2005 |
| Site: | Holy Cross Lutheran Church 4125 Constitution Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80909 |
| Host: | Rev. Doug Brauner 719-596-0661 [email protected] [9] |
| Description: This workshop will explore the liabilities of overextending the application of the Law-Gospel dynamic and allowing it to become a polarity, which inevitably swallows any ability to speak positively about the Law. The ultimate damage done to parishes and individual Christians as they succumb to antinomianism and/or legalism will be explored and discussed. It will be suggested that the two kinds of righteousness provides a much better and more Lutheran way of approaching the theological task in a home and parish setting. | |
| Instructor: | Prof. Jeffrey Kloha |
| Dates: | August 1-3, 2005 |
| Deadline: | July 11, 2005 |
| Site: | St. James Lutheran Church 4771 Broadview Rd. Cleveland, OH 44109 |
| Host: | Dr. Paul Hoffman 216-351-6499 [email protected] [10] |
| Description: In the recent history of American Christianity, the issue of which books should be in the New Testament has been considered closed. Every confirmation class student memorizes the sequence of the twenty-seven books. However, popular books likeThe DaVinci Code and Beyond Belief have raised the issue of whether certain writings were wrongly excluded from the canon. In addition, books that historically have been less important in the church’s life, such as Revelation, have become the source for best sellers and major films. We will look at the issue as it was dealt with by the early Christians and the Reformation period, before the canon became “settled” in the modern period, in order to find a way to help our people be confident in the Scriptures. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. R. Reed Lessing |
| Dates: | August 8-10, 2005 |
| Deadline: | July 19, 2005 |
| Site: | Trinity Lutheran Church 3353 Highway 176 Tryon, NC 28782 |
| Host: | Rev. Matthew Versemann 828-859-0379 [email protected] [11] |
| Description: It was St. Jerome who introduced Isaiah with these words: “He should be called an evangelist rather than a prophet because he describes all the mysteries of Christ and the Church so clearly that you would think he is composing a history of what has already happened rather than prophesying about what is to come.” Indeed, over 250 passages in the New Testament refer to Isaiah! Specific texts such as 2:1-5 (the elevation of Mt. Zion), 5:1-7 (the song of the vineyard), 6:1-13 (the prophet’s call/commission) and 9:1-6 (“unto us a child is born …”) will be closely scrutinized. Entire chapters such as 11, 35, 40 and 53 also will be examined. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of this “prince of the prophets,” numerous sermon ideas and a “ready-to-go” adult Bible Class. | |
| Instructor: | Dr. Victor Raj |
| Dates: | August 15-17, 2005 |
| Deadline: | July 25, 2005 |
| Site: | Redeemer Lutheran Church 6630 Brittany Dr. Ft. Collins, CO 80525 |
| Host: | Rev. Tim Runtsch 970-225-9020 [email protected] [12] |
| Description: The Christian Church from its inception has been a witnessing community, telling the world the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. Gospel proclamation in our world involves new challenges as competing ideologies and worldviews continue to emerge in the marketplace of religion. Founded on the principle that mission is the heart of God, this workshop in four sessions will propose ways to present the unchanging Gospel in a context where change has become customary. | |