Mid-Winter Convocation 2014

God's Mission and Worship

Jan. 29-31, 2014
Luther Seminary
St. Paul, Minn.

Keynote speakers

Four theologians, each working in tandem with a missional pastor, presented on one movement of the liturgy: Gathering, Word, Meal, and Sending.

Click on the name of each presenter (below) to listen to audio.
David Lose provided introductions for each speaker.

Missional Gathering: Invitation to Life in Christ

Paul Hoffman, Retired Pastor, Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington

Jessicah Krey Duckworth, Program Director for Religion, The Lilly Endowment
(Note: Q&A for both Paul Hoffman and Jessicah Krey Duckworth are found at the end of the second audio track.)

Missional Word: Preaching in a Secular Age

Al Tizon, Ronald Sider Associate Professor of Holistic Ministry, Palmer Theological

Ed Searcy, Pastor, University Hill Church, Vancouver, British Columbia

Missional Meal

Emily Scott and Christian Scharen. Emily Scott is Pastor, St. Lydia’s Church, Brooklyn, New York; Christian Scharen is Director of Contextual Learning and Assistant Professor of Worship, Luther Seminary

Missional Sending: Worship and the World God Loves

Cláudio Carvalhaes, Associate Professor of Worship and Liturgy, Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia

Paul Hoffman, Retired Pastor, Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington

PURPOSE

“As the second decade of the 21st century begins, we confess that the Holy Spirit is calling and sending the church of Jesus Christ into apostolic mission for the sake of God’s world.” 

The first sentence of Luther Seminary’s strategic plan sets an agenda for the Mid-Winter Convocation for 2014 on God’s Mission and Worship. Its theological claims undergird the shape of the conference, organized around the Spirit’s work in gathering for worship, breaking open Jesus’ presence in word and meal, and sending in mission to a hurting and hungry world. We joined in God’s work in Christ through the Spirit at a time when many churches are less sure than ever what their place is in society. Existing assumptions, while sustaining generations before us, seem in need of major revision. Assumptions like:

    • Worship is the first place newcomers are going to encounter a given congregation.
    • Worship is primarily for the spiritual nurture of the members of a given congregation.
    • Visitors understand the Christian faith and its core claims rooted in Scripture.
    • Longtime members understand the Christian faith and its core claims rooted in Scripture.

These assumptions are increasingly eroding today. In response to these assumptions, four practitioner/educator pairs thought through fresh theological and practical assumptions of our new era of apostolic mission. What is God up to in our midst, and what is God calling us to be and do? Listen in on the audio tracks (found above) to follow the conversation.