The Theological Symposium committee invites proposals for open sectionals for the 36th Annual Theological Symposium, September 22-23, 2026, at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Ultimately the reason pastors and other church leaders study theology is to care for souls. The focus of Luther’s theology is the care of souls. But for the past century, the care of troubled persons has been increasingly delegated to vocations like psychiatrists, psychologists, and other professional counselors, often to the exclusion of pastors and their spiritual care of souls.
The pandemic exacerbated an already growing crisis of mental health. How can the Church reclaim its voice and its proper role of caring for souls struggling with mental health issues? How does our theology contribute to the care of souls in the 21st century? How can the church better embrace the care of people suffering from the many kinds of mental health afflictions in our culture today? What is the distinctive role of pastors and other church workers as compared to secular, or even Christian counselors?
Submissions must be on topic this year. A paragraph abstract should be submitted to Erika Petsch, Director of Continuing Education, via email [email protected] by March 31st.
Once your proposal is approved you will receive an email from the Whova phone app requesting your presentation title, description, short bio, and headshot so our symposium guests can pre-register for all the sessions in person. Don’t forget to also register yourself!
Sectional presentations are 45 minutes long, allowing time for questions and discussion.
We also ask that you provide us with a pre-recording of your presentation so we can make it available after the symposium on CSLScholar.
We look forward to receiving your proposals. Thank you.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.