Workshops

We will be offering workshops in the following topical areas:

• Teaching the Bible in Congregations
• Opening the Bible at Home
• Book of Faith in Your Congregation
• Bible and the Arts
• Bible and Culture

Register online now!

Teaching the Bible in Congregations   

• Exploring Four Methods of Engaging the Bible with Small Groups - Diane Jacobson
  Discover how to teach and learn in meaningful and engaging ways that can enrich lives of faith. In this workshop, participants will explore texts devotionally, historically and from a literary standpoint. Participants will ask deeper theological questions with an emphasis on questioning from a Lutheran perspective. The workshop will place particular emphasis on how participants might lead a group using these methods..
    
• Making Sense of Scripture - David Lose
  Based on his new book, "Making Sense of Scripture - Inviting People to Think about the Bible," Lose will introduce themes, exercises and practical resources that invite all Christians to read the Bible with both heart and mind and answer major questions Christians have about their book of faith.
   
• Dwelling in the Word: A Deep Listening Experience - Pat Taylor Ellison
  This workshop will explore dwelling together to discover what type of Christian imagination can be formed. Dwelling in the Word is a practice, a habit. It involves staying in the same place for a long while, listening deeply to the story and to one another. It is creation of space and time to think, hear, feel, wonder, ask, laugh, cry and be awed. It shapes imaginations, dismays, causes rebellion and also brings comfort. Attendees will be encouraged to try dwelling in various ways - with staff, family, church council and others.
   
  
• What's With All the Violence in the Bible? - Terry Fretheim
  A consideration of divine and human violence in the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament.
   
• Teaching Luke's Gospel - David Tiede
  How can our Book of Faith initiative help people read a complete Gospel and experience its power together? This workshop will introduce "Learning Luke: The Apostolic Gospel." In cooperation with Seraphim Productions and Augsburg College, David Tiede has worked with a group of learner/disciples to prepare a multiple session video resource, a leader's guide, and an audio recording of Luke's Gospel. That project is designed to support "Teaching the Bible" and "Book of Faith in Your Congregation." It will be especially valuable in the "Year of Luke," beginning this Advent.
   
• Hearing Our Youth Into Scripture - Jeremy Myers
  This workshop will explore a way of reading Scripture with a large or small group of youth and adults that encourages personal and communal hearing of the text in a way that is creative, reflective, accessible and full of grace.
   
• Teaching the Bible to the Biblically Illiterate and Uninterested - Greg Meyer
  Don't kid yourself into thinking people know the difference between Noah and Jonah, what a Barabbas is or that the Epistles aren't the wives of the Apostles. Most younger people who grew up in the church won't even pass those tests anymore. Illiteracy is one thing, but disinterest is the real problem. For those who have given up on the church as a meaningful source for spiritual development (more than 50 percent of those under 45) rather than the Bible proving anything, we need to prove it is worth anything. Possible? Of course, but it's a whole new world for us leftovers of Christendom. Learn how to communicate the content and stir a thirst for God's Word in new generations of Christ followers. Discover the need to rethink the way you use and talk about the Bible, and how to use it in worship services.
   

Opening the Bible at Home  

• Book of Faith for Households of Faith - Linda Staats
  A strategic goal of the Book of Faith Initiative is to engage 75 percent of a synod's congregations in the initiative. This interactive workshop will challenge and equip participants to engage 75 percent of a congregation's households as BOF households. Imagine every place people live (apartments, dorms, cabins, condos, assisted living centers, boats, mansions, farm houses, etc.) as more than zip codes and addresses on mailing labels but as places where people are equipped to become fluent in the first language of faith! Learn why the church-home connection is vital if we are going to live into our callings regardless of age or stage in life. Explore simple, proven strategies to equip the home to open Scripture and join the conversation in the busyness and routines of daily life. Practical tools and resources provided.
   
• The Bible in our Homes - Eugene Peterson
  Recovering the home as a place where the Bible shapes lives will be the focus of this workshop. Homes are the primary place for the cultivation of a mature Christian life. Home is the place people are most themselves, a place of hospitality, the place that includes and gathers together who people are bodily, emotionally and spiritually. It houses the most intimate relations. Is it also the place in which the Bible plays a formative role? Most attempts at family devotions never get off the ground. Attendees will learn how to make the Bible more than simply a coffee table decoration.
   
• Building Bridges: Partnering with Families to Strengthen Faith Practices at Home - Andrea Fieldhouse
  Faith begins and is nurtured and grounded in the home. Building Bridges is a ministry designed to prepare and support parents in passing on their faith to their children. Addressing how families explore and practice faith together, this ministry focuses on making a connection - "building a bridge" between the home and the congregation. By living, learning and practicing God's story together, families can make what is practiced in the congregation part of their everyday lives.
   
• Devotions in the Home - Christy Olson
  In our homes today, there are many relationships. Adult children and their families, grandparents or college-age family friends may be living under the same roof. Home is where families define themselves share experiences. In this workshop we will look at the relationships within the home and how they can be enriched by devotions. Expect gentle humor as we explore the God given gift of family relationships. We will explore this question at a fast pace with lots of ideas and techniques for taking the Bible and using it as a devotion book for all ages in all situations. Bring your Bibles and creative thinking as we discover ways to engage in Devotions in the Home.
   

Book of Faith in Your Congregation  

• Growing the Book of Faith in Your Congregation - Greg Kaufmann and Sara Vanderpan
  For those interested in jump-starting the Book of Faith initiative in their congregations, this workshop will offer participants ways to creatively engage congregation members. Participants will view a premier movie filmed in real congregations by Tim Frakes. The movie addresses how various congregations have successfully involved members in the Book of Faith Initiative. Participants will also be invited to share their own success stories in living the Book of Faith Initiative. Attendees will depart with a collection of creative ideas to implement in their own congregations (which will also be available on the Book of Faith Web site).
   
• Augsburg Fortress Book of Faith Resources - Linda Magill
  Feeling befuddled by the growing list of Book of Faith resources? Learn which Book of Faith resources are available now and how they are being used and gain a sneak peak at forthcoming Augsburg Fortress titles. Participants will sample the rich, new family of adult Bible studies and gain an overview of existing general resources. They will also receive suggestions for target audiences. This workshop is designed for those just launching the Book of Faith Initiative as well as those involved from the beginning. As the publishing ministry of the ELCA, Augsburg Fortress is also seeking participants' input regarding needed future resources. Come and join the conversation!
   
• Activate Faith with SPARK! - Leslee Nestingen
  This session will introduce Augsburg Fortress' new SPARK curriculum which is designed to help activate faith in a congregation's Sunday school or Christian education. The curriculum works well in traditional classroom, lectionary-based or rotational formats. The workshop will discuss how we equip young people with the biblical foundations needed for a lifetime of faith. It will also address new ways to bring Bible stories to life, how to better reach kids with different learning styles, how teachers can be better prepared in less time and how to inspire kids to read the Bible every week. This workshop will feature the new SPARK Story Bible, (age 2-grade two), and SPARK Bible, (grades three-six), the learner resources that form the foundation for this curriculum.
   
• Engaging Beyond the Boundaries: Marketing the Book of Faith Initiative in Your Setting - Tim Westermeyer and Bill Huff.
  In this workshop, we will consider how to effectively communicate the Book of Faith Initiative in your setting. We will discuss how to think strategically about communications, and, more specifically, will review a variety of tactics to help you reach members of your church and your community with news and information about Book of Faith. Among the topics to be covered: working with the media, effective newsletter writing and layout, and using technology (e-mail, Web, video) to reach audiences.
   

Bible and the Arts  

• Bibliodrama/Contemporary Midrash - Dennice Gooley
  Come on a Bible journey. This workshop introduces an ancient method of reading and understanding the Bible within a modern context called Bibliodrama or contemporary Midrash. Both a method and a strategy, this approach works well for personal or group Bible study, VBS or outreach programs, regardless of age or previous Bible knowledge. This workshop uses an experiential learning model to interactively explore the Bible, create a deeper, more personal understanding and bring the stories to life. "It is like you get to know the individuals portrayed personally," said a previous participant. Workshop attendees will learn how to select and develop texts and to understand method fundamentals and will receive materials and reference information to further their learning.
   
• Neon Bible: Preaching and Worship at the Intersection of Scripture and Pop Culture - Chris Scharen
  The Bible is omnipresent in pop culture - in movies, on TV and in popular music. We'll think about how and why to engage this cultural reality in preaching and worship, and how doing so can open space for deepening congregational Scripture study practices.
   
• Imaging the Word: Teaching and Preaching with Art - Robert Brusic
  Historically, the Christian Church has had an uneven relationship with the visual arts. In recent years, however, many worshipping communities have discovered creative ways to incorporate the arts in preaching, teaching and parish environments. Robert Brusic will talk about and illustrate ways in which the church has used art (icons, paintings and banners). He will also talk about the Luther Seminary Prodigal Son collection on which his book, "And Grace Will Lead Me Home," is based. He will consider the artist as storyteller: how art and text can proclaim the gospel. Further, he will engage workshop participants to tell how art has enhanced their lives and the life of their congregations. Matters of taste, sensitivity, interpretation and strategies for commissioning, selecting and incorporating art will also be considered.
   
• Media and the Bible: Getting the Text off the Page - Kristin Wiersma and Hans Wiersma
  With the advent of low-cost (and even no-cost) editing software, coupled with online video delivery platforms such as YouTube, it is easier and cheaper than ever to generate and broadcast audio/visual material for the purpose of teaching the Scriptures. This workshop will survey and explore various forms of communications media and their potential for service in interpreting and communicating the Biblical text. Special attention will be given to pedagogical concerns and the workshop will include useful tips and how-tos.
   

Bible and Culture  

• Gutenberg to Google: Proclaiming the Gospel in the 21st Century - Beth Lewis
  Beth Lewis will explore how the use of media to proclaim the gospel has both remained the same and changed since the time of Martin Luther. Participants will learn about history and how reforming traditions remain alive and well today. They will also get a glimpse of how technology can be used for faith formation, worship and outreach.
   
• The Multicultural Presence in the Bible - Larry Clark
  The Bible is filled with many stories of individuals and people. In our workshop, we'll explore particular passages that represent the many different and diverse cultures that come alive in the biblical text. I invite you to come and explore the rich heritage we can draw upon as Lutherans who believe that we are saved by grace through faith.
   
• Diversity in the Bible: Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Out? - Kelly Chatman
  This workshop will challenge you to think about the Jesus encountered by diverse people in Scripture. How did people like the woman at the well, the paralytic man and children experience Jesus? The Bible is filled with diversity and conflict. How did Jesus respond? Let’s explore the Book together.
   
• World of the Bible…Bible in the World - Phil Quanbeck and Karl Jacobson
  This workshop explores various ways in which the Bible is encountered in a new cultural setting, in popular media (film, music, etc), and will equip readers of the Bible to engage those interpretations of the Bible, and to begin to bridge the gap between the ancient cultures of the Bible, and our own American setting.