The Association of Confessional Lutherans and The Luther Academy present
2014 Congress on the Lutheran Confessions
April 30–May 2, 2014
Ramada Inn, Bloomington, MN
Theme: Cousins in Christ: The WELS, LCMS, and ELS
Recent free conferences and synodical conventions have opened the possibility of renewed discussions between the three largest confessional Lutheran synods in the United States; namely, the Wisconsin Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and Missouri Synod. A number of issues remain unresolved from 1961, when these three constituent members of the “Synodical Conference” parted ways and broke church fellowship. Many people wonder: “Have these Lutheran synods moved closer together, or farther apart, in the past 50 years?” and “Is some type of cooperation in externals between these synods possible, or even desirable?” and “If there is doctrinal unity between these synods, is church fellowship possible?” Theologians, professors, and pastors from each of these synods will explore the various issues that still divide these synodical “cousins in Christ.”
Topics & Speakers:
1) The Wisconsin Synod and its relationship with its Confessional Lutheran Peers in the US. Rev. Prof. Tom Nass, Professor of Hebrew at Martin Luther College (WELS), New Ulm, MN
2) The Evangelical Lutheran Synod and its relationship with its Confessional Lutheran Peers in the US. Rev. James M. Braun (ELS), Pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Yelm, WA; Editorial Associate of LOGIA
3) The Missouri Synod and its relationship with its Confessional Lutheran Peers in the US. Rev. Dr. John Wohlrabe, Jr. (LCMS), Second Vice-President of the LCMS; adjunct Professor of Theology at Concordia University Wisconsin; retired US Navy Chaplain
4) A History of the Synodical Conference and Its Aftermath, 1868 to the Present. Rev. Dr. Mark Braun (WELS), Professor of Theology at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI
5) The LCMS and its Military Chaplaincy Today. Rev. Jonathan E. Shaw (LCMS), Professor at the U.S Army War College, Carlisle, PA; LCMS Army Chaplain
6) The Doctrine of Church and Ministry Today in the LCMS, ELS, & WELS. Rev. David R. Preus (LCMS), Pastor at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Billings, MT
7) Luther and the Body. Rev. Dr. Charles Cortright (WELS), Professor of Theology at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI; Secretary of the Luther Academy; Editorial Associate of LOGIA
8) [topic to be determined]. Rev. Dr. Gifford Grobien (LCMS), Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN; Editor of the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics
9) [topic to be determined]. Rev. Dr. Paul Strawn (LCMS), Pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Spring Lake Park, MN
For registration forms and more information, click here.