“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).
It is difficult to live honorably as a child of God when the Church is increasingly marginalized and ridiculed. To be sure, this is a consequence of evil in the world, but it is also because God’s people don’t know the Scriptures and/or because they compromise what they believe or how they live in the world.
God’s Word is clear. We are “in the world” (John 17:11; Philippians 2:15) as “elect exiles” (1 Peter 1:1), and the nations (“the gentiles”) will observe our good deeds through our speech and actions. Because of this witness, Peter writes, even they will “glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12), and Paul says that one day “… every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11).
Please join us for the 2022 Theological Conference on Saturday, February 5, at Our Savior, Lansing. Excellent speakers will guide us, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to pray and determine when to defend the “walls” of the Church and when to continue to shine and speak the truth in love, even though our witness may go against many of the current cultural topics.
Note: The CDC and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recommend that all participants, including those vaccinated, wear masks while gathered indoors. A mask will be provided to you at check-in if you need one. If you are feeling unwell or have any symptoms of COVID prior to arrival, please stay home. We will continue to monitor the pandemic, recommendations from the CDC, state and county health departments, and Our Savior, Lansing.
When & Where
Lansing
February 5, 2022
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Lansing7910 E. St. Joe Hwy
Lansing, MI, 48917
Presenters
Speaker
Rev. Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer
Rev. Dr. Joel D. Lehenbauer is the Executive Director of the Commission on Theology & Church Relations (CTCR) for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. He has been on the executive staff of the CTCR since 1991, having previously served as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hillsdale, Mich. (1985-1990). He is a frequent speaker at church-related conferences on a wide variety of theological topics, and has a special interest in current issues, challenges, and opportunities in areas involving the intersection between church and culture. Dr. Lehenbauer attended Valparaiso University, Concordia College, Ann Arbor (B.A.), and Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. (M.Div., STM, Ph.D.). He and his wife Hope live in Union, Mo. and have four grown children and four grandchildren.
Speaker
Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer
Rev. Dr. Dale A. Meyer earned his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary (1973), followed by M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in classical languages from Washington University in St. Louis (1974, 1986). He is also the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind. (1993). Meyer served congregations in Illinois, taught as a guest instructor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. (CSL) at various times, was third vice-president of the LCMS (1995-1998), and served as a speaker on The Lutheran Hour (1989-2001), as well as host of the television show On Main Street. He rejoined the CSL faculty in 2001 and became president in 2005, from where he retired in 2020. Meyer has been speaking, writing, and preaching for more than 40 years. His areas of interest and study include 1 Peter, the church in a changing culture, and the Sabbath applied to life today.
Speaker
Rev. Dr. Theodore J. Hopkins
Rev. Dr. Theodore J. Hopkins is associate professor of theology, pre-seminary program director, and family life ministry program director at Concordia University Ann Arbor. A systematic theologian by training (Ph.D. Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 2016), Hopkins’ published work and presentations explore Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology and the church-world relationship in North America as Christendom crumbles. Hopkins’ book Christ, Church, and World: Bonhoeffer and Lutheran Ecclesiology after Christendom was published in October 2021 with Fortress Academic/Lexington Books. Hopkins enjoys birds, baseball, talking theology with anyone in his proximity, and spending time outdoors with his family. He resides near Ann Arbor, Mich. with his wife and two children.
Speaker
Mr. Greg S. Baylor, JD
Gregory S. Baylor serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, where he is the director of the Center for Religious Schools and Senior Counsel for Government Affairs. Greg earned his Juris Doctor in 1990 from Duke University School of Law, where he graduated with high honors, and served on the editorial board of the Duke Law Journal. Following graduation from law school, he served as law clerk to the Hon. Jerry E. Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He practiced labor and employment law at two large international law firms for three years before joining the staff of Christian Legal Society’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom, where he served for 15 years prior to joining ADF. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife (a medical doctor) and two daughters.
Facilitator
Rev. Brian D. West
Rev. Brian D. West is the senior pastor at Holy Cross, Jenison. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Concordia University Nebraska in 1999 and his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo. in 2007. He served as associate pastor at Christ The King Lutheran Church in Kingwood, Texas and later at Trinity, Clinton Township before accepting the call to Holy Cross. He also served as a voluntary missionary for LCMS World Missions. Brian is married to Erin and they have two daughters.
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.
Registration
Registration is now open.
Registration Cost (includes boxed lunch):
- $20 General Registration
- $15 Students
- Livestream will be free but you must register to receive the link.
General Registration
$20/$15
$20 General / $15 Students / Livestream
Compassion Ministry
We will be collecting items for the Our Savior Lutheran Food Bank and the Flint Mission Network (FAM – Franklin Avenue Mission/YAM – York Avenue Mission/Mercy House/The Luke Clinic).
Wish lists: Our Savior Lutheran Food Bank | Franklin Avenue Mission
Additional lists will be available soon.
Media Kit
Bulletin Inserts/Newsletters/Screens
- Bulletin Insert – 1/2 Sheet Color
- Bulletin Insert – 1/2 Sheet Black/White
- Wide Screen JPG (for presentations)
- Standard Screen JPG (for presentations)
- Quarter Page Ad JPG (for use in newsletters etc.)
Promo Video
Please share this video with members of your congregation. YouTube