About the WLS Annual Symposium
Inaugurated in 2000 as part of the 150th anniversary of the Wisconsin Synod, the annual symposium attracts several hundred pastors who gather together with seminary students and faculty to hear and discuss presentations on important church topics. Held on the Monday and Tuesday following the third Sunday in September, the symposium includes three essays, a festival service, and an evening of relaxation and fellowship. Sessions begin at 1:10 p.m. on Monday and end at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The essays presented at the symposium can be found on the seminary website shortly after the symposium has concluded. For those who would like to participate in real-time but are not able to join as an in-person participant, an on-line only option for registration will be possible. In this option, a link will be provided for real-time access to the essays, reactions, and comments. As always, a live-streamed feed to the symposium worship service will be provided to the public.
Registration for the annual symposium opens on July 1 each year.
The 2025 WLS Fall Symposium
September 22–23, 2025
The Ministry of the Word in the Twenty-First Century: Foundations, Forms, and Flashpoints
The 2025 WLS Fall Symposium will gather under the theme “The Ministry of the Word in the Twenty-First Century: Foundations, Forms, and Flashpoints.” In the preface to his book, The Ministry of the Word, Prof. John Brug writes, “No other doctrine has caused more struggle, debate, and conflict for the Lutheran church in the United States than the doctrine of the ministry.” (John F. Brug, The Ministry of the Word, Milwaukee: Northwestern, 2009, xii) A survey of doctrinal debates related to the definition, scope, and applications of the ministry of the Word over the past two centuries demonstrate the veracity of Brug’s sobering statement. As we near the completion of another quarter-century, what, if anything, has changed? The upcoming symposium will provide an opportunity to revisit a confessional Lutheran understanding of the ministry of the Word, gain clarity on how it intersects with the public ministry, and provide an opportunity to address the unique role of the pastoral ministry. Our prayer is that the symposium will allow pastors to grow in their appreciation for the ministry of the Word and better equip them to speak with confidence and clarity on these important matters.
The three essayists for the 2025 Fall Symposium are Rev. Matt Scharf, a parish pastor serving at Grace Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, WI; Prof. Thomas Nass, professor at Martin Luther College; and Rev. Phil Hirsch, pastor of Hope Lutheran Church, Manhattan, KS, and district president of the Nebraska District. A brief description of each of their essays is found below:
Essay #1 – Gospel Ministry—Gift, Giver, and Getter
Rev. Matt Scharf
It’s easy to speak about the grace of God in an abstract, ethereal kind of way—it’s out there somewhere, because it’s everywhere – which is about as useful as saying – it’s nowhere. Rather than remain in ethereal, impenetrable obscurity, God locates his gracious, saving presence for humanity’s benefit to work faith where and when it pleases him. The Deity, who is eternally free, has bound his people to the use of external means as the way he will create faith, by which he sets bound sinners free eternally. In its foundational sense, the Christ-instituted ministry of teaching the gospel and administering the sacraments is God’s activity to us and for us before it is God’s activity through us. This essay will explore the Christo-centricity and Christo-primacy of the ministry of Word and Sacrament. Keeping God-in-the-flesh at the center of ministry is both the Christian’s joy and the Christian’s God-ordained tool to bring his embodied gifts into an increasingly disembodied world.
Essay #2 – The Public Ministry of the Word: Instituted by Christ and Implemented by the Church
Prof. Thomas Nass
Throughout history, it has been God’s will that there be a public ministry of spiritual teaching and oversight, through which God guides and blesses his people spiritually. In the NT era, we have the public ministry of the means of grace instituted by Christ, and through this ministry Christ brings marvelous blessings to his church.
In the synods of the former Synodical Conference, however, there has been intense discussion about what exactly is instituted by Christ and what is free for the church to establish in regard to this public ministry. Is one specific office divinely instituted? Must some tasks be carried out by one office? Is ordination something divinely instituted? Certainly, this essay will not be the last word on any of these topics. But the essayist will share whatever light he has gained, as he has been involved in discussions on this topic for over thirty years.
Essay #3 – “So, You’re a Pastor.” Revisiting Expectations of Pastoral Ministry
Rev. Phil Hirsch
A conversation hits the awkward zone because the listener doesn’t quite know what to do with this discovery. But this one is brave and asks, “What does that mean?” You wade in to help your neighbor think about it in a way that is faithful and useful because your Seelsorger’s heart knows this person also needs to be served by a pastor and probably doesn’t have one—at least not the kind of pastor you are. You pay attention to your conversation partner to check if interest is waning. You speak to the presenting issue (their curiosity) while attempting to guide it to the underlying issues that always drive a human; you’re a Lutheran pastor and you know the enslaved nature of every human and you also know the One who sets them free. And you speak for him.
This essay will address qualifications, preparations and on-going growth for the candidate and for the pastor. It will talk about day-to-day pastoral duties, job descriptions, balancing multiple vocations, and time management. The essay will talk about how fun it is to be a pastor. And how difficult. But you will be blessed because we will consider it all in the light of the Good Shepherd whose voice we get to listen to and in whose name we get to serve as pastors.
The 2025 Symposium will begin in the WLS campus auditorium at 1:10 p.m. on Monday, September 22, and will conclude on Tuesday, September 23, no later than 12:30 p.m. In addition to the three essays, the agenda will include opportunities for discussion and a closing worship service. As in past years, registration will include snacks, dinner and an opportunity for fellowship on Monday evening.
Additional information and links for registration will be available in the future.
Contact
For specific questions, please contact Nola Zemlicka at nola.zemlicka@wls.edu or 262-242-8141.