Contemporary Challenges to the Preaching of the Gospel
Pulpits are disappearing. Large screens and an internet presence seem vital. Multi-media sermons series are purchased, not created. But does it matter? And if it does, why?
Our Speakers
The Association of Confessional Lutheran brings an exciting range of experience to the Congress on the Lutheran Confessions. It strives annually to assemble the best of available conference speakers.
Dr. Holger Sonntag
Author, Translator, Theologian and AttorneyDr. Holger Sonntag
Author, Translator, Theologian and Attorney
Rev. Dr. Brian J. Klebig
Professor of Communication, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MNRev. Dr. Klebig teaches courses regularly in speech, mass media, and the essentials of Christianity. He actively promotes the usage of the latest in technology in education. As part of his doctoral studies in communication, he helped design and manage the state-of-the-art CARISMA virtual reality lab at Michigan State University. He then designed and deployed a virtual rituality preaching environment for seminarians at Bethany Seminary to practice preaching.
More on Dr. Klebig and the Virtual Reality Preaching Lab at Bethany SeminaryRev. Dr. Brian J. Klebig
Professor of Communication, Bethany Lutheran College, Mankato, MN
Rev. Paul Martin Strawn
Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota and Director of the Confessional Lutheran Education FoundationA parish pastor for 28 years, Pr. Strawn has also prepared many modern editions of Martin Luther's sermons for study in the parish.
Rev. Paul Martin Strawn
Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Spring Lake Park, Minnesota and Director of the Confessional Lutheran Education Foundation
Rev. Heath Curtis
Pastor, Zion and Trinity Lutheran Churches, Carpenter and Worden, IllinoisAlong with his pastoral duties, Pr. Curtis works as a translator and editor at Concordia Publishing House. He is also an instructor for the Wittenberg Academy and Stewardship Coordinator for the LCMS. His most recent work is entitled: Telling People What To Think: A Concise Homiletics for Lutheran Parish Pastors.
More on Pastor CurtisRev. Heath Curtis
Pastor, Zion and Trinity Lutheran Churches, Carpenter and Worden, Illinois
Rev. Dr. Steven C. Briel
Pastor EmeritusRev. Dr. Briel has served as a professor of Hebrew at St. John's college in Winfield, Kansas as well as a parish pastor until his retirement at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Osseo, Minnesota. During that time he also served the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod on the Board for National Mission, Board for Pastoral Ministry, Board for Higher Education, and Board of Regents for Concordia College in Bronxville, NY. Many of his homiletical studies and articles have been published in the Concordia Theological Quarterly.
More on Dr. BrielRev. Dr. Steven C. Briel
Pastor Emeritus
Rev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher II
Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IndianaRev. Dr. Fickenscher served parishes in Michigan and Texas before assuming his current position at Concordia Theological Seminary, in Ft. Wayne. He is the editor of Concordia Pulpit Resources and also chairman of the LCMS Preach the Word project. His latest work, Looking Forward to Sunday Morning, is soon to be published.
More on Dr. FickenscherRev. Dr. Carl Fickenscher II
Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing
Director of The Center for Biblical Studies, Concordia University, St. PaulPrior to his current position, Rev. Dr. Lessing served congregations in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Indiana and Minnesota, and was the Professor of Old Testament theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He has been published extensively, authoring the commentaries on Jonah, Zechariah, Amos, Isaiah and Lamentations in the Concordia Commentary Series, as well as numerous studies in the Lifelight Bible Series.
More on Dr. LessingRev. Dr. Reed Lessing
Director of The Center for Biblical Studies, Concordia University, St. Paul
Rev. Dr. Brian Saunders
District President of the Iowa District East of the LCMSRev. Dr. Brian Saunders
District President of the Iowa District East of the LCMS
Rev. Robert Kieselowsky Jr.
Director, Philadelphia Lutheran Ministries
Rev. Dr. Karl Fabrizius
Pastor Em.The Rev. Karl F. Fabrizius recently retired from serving as pastor of Our Father's Lutheran Church in Greenfield, Wisconsin, where he had served since 1984. He holds a PhD in historical theology from Marquette University (1994) and an MDiv (1984) from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He has written a ten volume series of Bible Stories for Daily Prayer that is published by Concordia Catechetical Academy which is suitable for Lutheran schools, home schooling, and private devotions
Rev. Dr. Karl Fabrizius
Pastor Em.Registration Opens
Too many sermons these days are shallow, merely entertaining, and leave the listener unconvicted of anything. Our church needs to hear more ``prophetic preaching.`` What is that? It is simply preaching like the prophets did. They preached didactic sermons, they preached relevant sermons, they preached with confidence that they preached with God's own authority, and they preached with appropriate law and gospel that sought to convict the listeners of sin and God's gracious forgiveness.
Lunch
This presentation will address the following questions: What is a Sermon? Who is it that preaches? What is the place of a sermon in a worship service and in the Church in general? How can experienced yet imperfect preachers improve their preaching? And what truly is a ``successful`` sermon?
Modern sensitivities toward authority in any form has led to the felt-need for pastors to reject the idea that their preaching has an inherent authority of some sort. And the abandoning of pulpits and the discarding of vestments has not gone far enough in assuring the congregation that the pastor is not lording something over them in his sermon. Something more is needed: A preaching without authority. But can true Christian preaching, that is, can Confessional Lutheran preaching, not have authority? Or even appear not to have authority?
Social Hour
Yes, I actually call it that when I introduce it to my students. It’s what the cross actually accomplished. It’s an essential understanding of Law and Gospel. It’s how texts like Bartimaeus, the deaf mute, stilling the storm, and the great catches of fish truly (not allegorically!) apply to the lives of our seeing, hearing, and landlubbing listeners. It’s how we can accurately preach those and countless other texts under Paul’s stricture, “nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” It’s how we comfort those who’ve suffered the sadnesses of this world and are likely to remain in it yet for years to come. It’s what makes coming to church relevant for the test you have coming up at school on Tuesday. The challenge is that it seems they’ve never heard this before.
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