The Church has a more defined role to play in the present racial unrest. The unrest has exposed prejudices and biases which are exhibited in many ways. The Gospel-confessing Church—pictured by Jesus in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (ESV)—has the privilege and responsibility of pushing forward with all the members of the body of Christ to educate about, and work to heal, the racial injustices that exist in society and, because we are sinners, in the Church as well. Join us on October 15 to learn together more about being a light to the world as we move forward in these tenuous times, praying for—and working towards—racial healing.
Please note: those who choose to attend this conference in person are required to wear a mask and adhere to proper social distancing protocols.
In the event we are unable to hold events with up to 50 people or more, we will look to gather either by circuits or all attend virtually. All registered attendees will receive the livestream link in the “Before You Go” email.
CEU’s are available for this conference. Download the CEU Form, complete, and send to Concordia Seminary.
Presenters
Speaker
Edward J. Stetzer, Ph.D.
Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair for Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton, and as chair of the Evangelism and Leadership Program in the Graduate School. Stetzer is a prolific author and well-known conference speaker. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents. He holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written or co-written a dozen books and hundreds of articles.
Speaker
Rev. B. Keith Haney
Rev. B. Keith Haney is Assistant to the President for Missions, Human Care, and Stewardship in Iowa District West. He has been an ordained pastor for 27 years, and has served multi-ethnic urban congregations in Detroit, St. Louis, and Milwaukee. He is the author of numerous devotionals, including One Nation Under God: Healing Racial Divides in America. He is married to Miriam (Bickel) Haney and they have six children and two grandchildren. Haney is also the author of the blog The Light Breaks Through, where he writes on his study of God’s Word.
Speaker
Rev. Dr. Victor J. Belton
Pastor Belton serves Concordia College in Bronxville, NY as Regional Representative for Advancement. He has a passion for seeing young people come to Christ and is an active mentor for a number of young saints in the community. He is a certified coach through the Center for United States Missions and works with other pastors and leaders to plan and implement prayer initiatives that impact the advance of the Kingdom of God, as well as the Lord’s Church and His people on earth.
Speaker
Rev. Dr. Kent R. Hunter
Kent Hunter is an LCMS pastor who served churches in Michigan, Indiana, and South Australia. He is the author of 32 books including Who Broke My Church? (2017) and Restoring Civility (2020). Kent has consulted over 1,600 congregations in 78 denominational, non-denominational, and independent churches in the U.S. and Canada. Kent is the founder of Church Doctor Ministries. He is a graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. in Theology from The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Missiology from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA.
Speaker
Tracee J. Swank
As the leader of Church Doctor Ministries, Tracee J. Swank has served pastors and ministry leaders as a strategic guide, consultant, and coach helping them gain clarity in ministry and take action to advance the Kingdom work they are called to do. She leads the ministry team of support staff, consultants, and coaches. Tracee has a Master’s Degree in Spiritual Formation and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry Degree.
Moderator
Rev. Dr. David P. E. Maier
President Maier attended Concordia University Ann Arbor and Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind. After his Ordination on August 15, 1982, he served as Mission Pastor of Our Savior in Marlette, Mich. as well as Youth Pastor and interim Head Pastor at St. Peter in Arlington Heights, Ill. In 1989, he was called to Our Savior, Lansing as Administrative/Senior Pastor where he served until he was elected President of the Michigan District, LCMS in June of 2009. In addition to serving as Michigan District President, he also serves as Chairman of the LCMS Council of Presidents.
Rev. Christopher R. Bodley
Rev. Christopher Bodley was installed as Missionary at Large for A2E in 2012. Rev. Bodley was raised in an urban setting and his public ministry of over 20 years has been solely in an urban context. His background extends from being a church planter to pastoring two multiethnic congregations. Rev. Bodley has a B.A. from Concordia University Nebraska, Seward and an M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Ind. He completed training in the Pastoral Leadership Institute. His ministry experience also includes serving as a Navy Chaplain for 12 years.
Registration
Registration for In-Person attendance is now closed.
Registration is still available for virtual attendance, and you will still receive a link to a PDF of the book One Nation Under God: Healing Racial Divides in America in your confirmation email.
This Conference will be FREE for all attendees; however, registration is required.
Conference Satellite Locations *Number of attendees at each location will be limited so please register early to ensure receiving your first choice. In the event we are not able to gather, all registered attendees will receive the livestream link in an email.
- Faith, Troy - Live Host Site - The conference will be recorded live at this location.
- Concordia University Ann Arbor (Student Mentor) - Concordia is looking for 20 pastors who are willing to serve as mentors for the day for Pre-Seminary students. If you are willing to serve in this way please sign up to attend at Concordia (Student Mentor). You will attend the conference on campus and will be paired with a student. (Social Distancing will still be applied.)
- St. Luke, Ann Arbor
- Cross of Christ, Bloomfield Hills
- St. Thomas, Eastpointe
- Mount Hope, Grayling
- Redeemer, Interlochen
- Holy Cross, Jenison
- Our Savior, Lansing
- St. Michael, Portage
- Faith, Port Huron
- Immanuel, Sebewaing
- St. Paul, Trenton
- Virtual (from your home)