2021 Season
For a complete list of sites and topics for 2021, please check out the brochure for continuing education opportunities!
Complete information and online registration for individual sites will be available as it is finalized.
Phone Registration and General CE Information
LeeAnna Rondot
(260) 452-2204
LeeAnna.Rondot@ctsfw.edu
List of Sites by Date
Crawford, NE--Wyoming District
To the Point of Shedding Blood: Christian Martyrs in the First Three Centuries
Dr. Adam C. Koontz
May 31, 2021-June 4, 2021
Jesus resisted evil to the point of shedding His blood, and many, many Christians have followed His example to this day. Not every religion or set of ideas requires the disciple to die. Why did Jesus' earliest followers do this, under what circumstances, and how did they preach the gospel as they gave their bodies over to death? We will look at the New Testament and early Christian literature to understand the earliest Christian martyrs. (CEU 3.0)
Gonzales, Louisiana
The Formula for Pastoral Ministry
Prof. John T. Pless
June 7, 2021-June 9, 2021
Pastors subscribe to the Formula of Concord along with the other documents in the Book of Concord because they are in agreement with the Holy Scriptures. In the ordination rite we pledge to perform all the duties of our office in accord with these confessions. This course will examine each of the articles of the last of the Lutheran Confessions, the Formula of Concord from the perspective of pastoral theology, asking the question what does pastoral ministry look like when justification by faith alone is the basis and boundary of our preaching, teaching, liturgy, and the care of fearful consciences? (CEU 1.5)
Auburn, MI
The Atheist Who Became a Bishop—Bo Giertz Is a Unique, Broad, and Deep Voice North Americans Need to Hear
Rev. Eric Andrae
June 14, 2021-June 16, 2021
Bo Giertz (1905-1998) served as a rural parish pastor, occasional preacher to the royal court, bishop of the Gothenburg diocese in the Church of Sweden, Vice President of the Lutheran World Federation, and prolific author on every subject imaginable. It would be no overstatement to say that Giertz—in productivity, accessibility of style, and influence—is the Swedish, pastoral, confessional Lutheran parallel to C.S. Lewis. Giertz’s works include The Hammer of God, The Message of the Church in a Time of Crisis, Preaching from the Whole Bible, To Live with Christ, Christ’s Church, The Knights of Rhodes, Then Fell the Lord’s Fire, With My Own Eyes, and A Year of Grace. In a churchwide survey in 1999, he was named the most influential Swedish churchman of the 20th century, surpassing such international luminaries as Nathan Söderblom, Gustaf Aulén, Gustaf Wingren, and Anders Nygren. In his vision for the Church, Giertz integrated the vibrancy of doctrinal orthodoxy, the reverence of the traditional high-church liturgy, and the warmth of a sincere low-church piety into a harmonious and unique whole, often synthesizing elements usually thought to be contradicting. This course will sketch the man and pastor, while focusing and merging his views on ecclesiology, pietism, Law and Gospel, the office of the ministry, preaching, Seelsorge/pastoral care, the atonement, and more, while engaging significant primary source material as yet untranslated. (CEU 1.5)
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Early Christian Mercy To the Secular Culture
Rev. Chad Kendall
June 15, 2021-June 17, 2021
This course will be an investigation into the Scriptures, looking particularly at the way the apostles speak of compassion and mercy. Emphasis will be toward Clement of Alexandria's approach to teaching the Christian faith in a Gnostic world. Further, this course will examine scriptural texts exegetically and will consider how, in light of Clement's approach, the church may communicate the scriptures and draw people into the church in our modern-day Gnostic and Postmodern culture. (CEU 1.5)
Carlyle, Illinois
To the Point of Shedding Blood: Christian Martyrs in the First Three Centuries
Dr. Adam C. Koontz
June 21, 2021-June 23, 2021
Jesus resisted evil to the point of shedding His blood, and many, many Christians have followed His example to this day. Not every religion or set of ideas requires the disciple to die. Why did Jesus' earliest followers do this, under what circumstances, and how did they preach the gospel as they gave their bodies over to death? We will look at the New Testament and early Christian literature to understand the earliest Christian martyrs. (CEU 3.0)
Decatur, Illinois
The Book of Jeremiah: Overcoming Life’s Sorrows
Dr. Reed Lessing
June 21, 2021-June 23, 2021
Based upon Dr. Lessing’s forthcoming book on Jeremiah (Concordia Publishing House, September, 2021), this course will be a combination of in-depth study and practical application—all based upon one of the prophet’s major themes: surviving life’s sorrows. Jeremiah offers a hope and future in Christ to all who have experienced a major disaster in life. (CEU 1.5)
Shawano, Wisconsin
Scripture and Sacramentality
Dr. Dean O. Wenthe
June 28, 2021-June 30, 2021
This course will offer hermeneutical and theological investigation of Israel’s history and the life of Jesus of Nazareth, with particular focus on the Incarnation as foundation for the Scripture’s description of sacraments. The meaning of Baptism and Eucharist and their relationship to the Gospel, in the context of the parish, will be explored. (1.5 CEU)
Anaheim, California
The Formula for Pastoral Ministry
Prof. John T. Pless
June 29, 2021-July 1, 2021
Pastors subscribe to the Formula of Concord along with the other documents in the Book of Concord because they are in agreement with the Holy Scriptures. In the ordination rite we pledge to perform all the duties of our office in accord with these confessions. This course will examine each of the articles of the last of the Lutheran Confessions, the Formula of Concord from the perspective of pastoral theology, asking the question what does pastoral ministry look like when justification by faith alone is the basis and boundary of our preaching, teaching, liturgy, and the care of fearful consciences? (CEU 1.5)
Riverton, Utah
Exodus: “Let My People Go!”
Dr. Reed Lessing
July 12, 2021-July 14, 2021
Throughout the book of Exodus God reveals Himself through His absence and His presence, through His silence and His speech, and through His wrath and His mercy. In doing so the book paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus. This three-day seminar will resource pastors with a Lenten sermon series based on Exodus, orders of worship and hymns, Bible studies, and a Lenten devotional booklet. (CEU 1.5)
Wentworth, South Dakota
Apologetics for the 21st Century
Dr. Adam S. Francisco
July 12, 2021-July 14, 2021
Scripture enjoins us to always be prepared to make a defense when non-Christians ask us why we believe what we believe and, sometimes, why they, too, should consider Christian belief. This course is an introduction to this particular aspect of the apologetic task. It covers the historical Christian apologetic tradition, assesses the various methods employed by apologists and especially focuses on the various charges made against and challenges posed to Christian belief today. (1.5 CEU)
Nashville, Tennessee
Law, Virtue, and Life in Christ
Dr. Gifford A. Grobien
July 26, 2021-July 28, 2021
What is the role of the Law in the Christian life? How can we better understand the so-called antinomian controversies of our time? Can virtue be considered as having a place in the Christian life, or does Luther's condemnation of habit exclude any rehabilitation of virtue? This course will explore these issues, as well as offer a positive, comprehensive understanding of the Christian life that does not mingle it with justification by faith before God. (1.5 CEU)
Tampa, Florida
“Why Should I Believe You?” Christian Apologetics for Today
Dr. Adam S. Francisco
July 26, 2021-July 28, 2021
Christians are often asked to give an account or reason for their faith, and Scripture enjoins us to “always be prepared to make a defense” for the hope that is ours in Christ. Because few are equipped for such encounters, this course seeks to introduce Christians to and encourage them in today’s apologetic challenges. (1.5 CEU)
Flathead Lake, Montana
Joseph Narratives: A Tale of Two Brothers in Genesis 37-50
Dr. Jeffrey H. Pulse
August 2, 2021-August 6, 2021
This course will explore the historical and theological transformation of the Hebrew people from the patriarchal era to the tribal era. At the same time we will examine the two Messianic figures in the Joseph narratives and observe their rise and fall. (CEU 3.0)
Silver Bay, Minnesota
Methods in Moral Theology
Dr. Gifford A. Grobien
August 2, 2021-August 6, 2021
This course considers different ways of thinking about good and right action: according to law, according to purpose, and according to virtue. Each of these will be considered and criticized in view of the Christian stance toward good works, especially with respect to repentance, faith, and regeneration. Current figures and trends in moral theology and moral philosophy will be considered, such as virtue ethics, the ecclesial ethics of Stanley Hauerwas, and two kinds of righteousness. (CEU 3.0)
Cupertino, California
Sanctification
Dr. Gifford A. Grobien
August 17, 2021-August 19, 2021
A treatment of the topic of sanctification, especially its relationship to justification and the Christian life. We will consider the relationship between the agency of the Holy Spirit and the believer, the role of ritual and adiaphora, and some views on the Christian life, as well as false views of sanctification. (CEU 1.5)