Welcome to the 2013 PLU Summer Conference on Pastoral Theology. In December 2013, congregations and parishes will engage the Gospel of Matthew throughout the upcoming seasons. In preparation for a year centered in Matthew’s distinctive and challenging portrait of Jesus and the Christian community, this summer conference welcomes preachers, directors of Christian education, musicians, adult education committee members, liturgical artists, and those who teach the Bible to an engaging series of presentations, small group work, and workshops set within the context of communal prayer and lively conversation.
From Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., we welcome Dr. John Pilch, a biblical scholar of international repute and an engaging speaker who has published over 35 books on the New Testament in its cultural context. Among his many works, Dr. Pilch has published the Handbook of Biblical Social Values (Baker, 2009), Introducing the Cultural Context of the New Testament (Wipf & Stock, 2007), Social Scientific Commentary on the Letters of Paul (Fortress, 2006), New Proclamation: Matthew (Fortress, 2004), Cultural Dictionary of the Bible (Liturgical Press, 1999), and a remarkable three volume commentary on gospel lectionary readings, The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Liturgical Press, 1995, 1996, 1997). For more on John Pilch, see http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/pilchj/.
We welcome Dr. Melinda Quivik, professor of preaching at the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia (2005 -2010), liturgical scholar, and Lutheran pastor. Dr. Quivik is the author of Serving the Word: Preaching in Worship (Fortress, 2009), A Christian Funeral: Witness to the Resurrection (Augsburg Fortress, 2005), and has published in New Proclamation: Mark (Fortress, 2011), Centripetal Worship (Augsburg Fortress, 2007), New Proclamation: Matthew (Fortress, 2007), Cross Accents: Journal of Lutheran Church Musicians (2012), and is a contributor to Feasting on the Word: Words for Worship (Westminster John Knox, 2009-2012). For more on Dr. Quivik, see http://archive.ltsp.edu/faculty/quivik/index.html.
In an interactive workshop, Dr. Samuel Torvend (PLU Religion and University Chair of Lutheran Studies) will invite participants to consider strategies for using prominent themes in Matthew as a source of congregational planning in 2013-2014.
With presentations on the cultural context that shaped the Gospel of Matthew and the art of preaching and teaching Matthew’s good news, participants will encounter fresh insights, practical advice, and strategies for using prominent themes in the gospel as a source of congregational planning in 2013-2014.