Feb 28, 2005 Print This Article

2005 Summer Nationwide Workshops

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 emailce@csl.edu .

2005 Summer Workshops

The Book of Revelation and the End Times
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
paulkoehnoslc@nycap.rr.com
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  The historical reference of this eschatological period extends from Christ's ascension unto the second coming of the Son of Man at the End.
Worship - The Lutheran Content
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
rblomenberg@immanuelseymour.com
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.
Church-State Issues from a Lutheran Perspective
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.
Left Behind: A Biblical and Confessional Response
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
jschrank@cclphoenix.org
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.
Shepherding God’s Flock Today: Issues in Church, Ministry, and Pastoral Leadership from the First Testament
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
chjahnke@aol.com
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.
Two Kinds of Righteousness: A Better Paradigm than Law and Gospel
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
rev.togilvie@cfu.net
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.
Martin Luther for the Parish Pastor
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
jeffreycrane@holycrosslutheran.net
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.
When Things Fall Apart
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
saa@mail.concordia-ny.edu
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.
Two Kinds of Righteousness: A Better Paradigm than Law and Gospel
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
pastor.doug.b@toholycross.org
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.
Why Some and Not Others? The Canon of the New Testament in Historical and Theological Perspective
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
stjamescleve@juno.com
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.
Isaiah: The Fifth Gospel
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
youdaman@alltel.net
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.
The Gospel in the Pluralistic Age
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
runtsch@redeemer-lutheran.org
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.