A Message from
Higher Things Conferences

In this week’s email, we cover all things Catechesis. What is it? What will all be offered at the conference? What can you do to prepare? Read on for more details!

Catechesis

Catechesis is a big word that encompasses all of the teachings that takes place at the conference. The mission of Higher Things is to assist parents, congregations, and pastors in cultivating a distinctively Lutheran identity among their youth and young adults. Thousands of these youth and young adults will be in attendance at the conferences this summer! One of the main ways that we encourage this Lutheran identity is in the teaching that takes place there.

There will be four Plenary (whole group) sessions taught by two LCMS pastors and teachers (they’re listed below!) over the course of each conference. These sessions will focus on teaching the conference theme, “Concordia.” On top of that, all conference registrants will have the opportunity for six breakaway sessions taught by the pastors and leaders that brought them to the conferences. These classes will cover various topics including, but not limited to: abortion; homosexuality; movies; other religions; church history, books of the Bible, etc. We hear from the youth that these are some of their favorite and most enriching times because they get to choose what they learn about!

Pastors and leaders are encouraged to continually teach their youth throughout the week by being available to answer the questions the youth will inevitably ask. We believe the best people to teach our youth are the ones the Lord has placed in their pulpits on Sundays, as well as their other leaders and parents. This is one reason why our breakaway teachers are all chosen from a pool of those registered.

Plenary teachers

We are very excited about the lineup of our Plenary teachers this year! Click this link to get more detailed biographies on them all.

Concordia University, Seward, NE

• Rev. Joel Fritsche - Missionary Pastor in the Dominican Republic

• Rev. Randy Sturzenbecher - Pastor at Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church, Black Hawk, SD

Concordia University, St. Paul, MN

• Rev. John Dreyer - Admission Counselor at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN

• Rev. Chris Rosebrough - Pastor at Kongsvinger Lutheran Church, Oslo, MN

Concordia University, Chicago, IL

• Rev. Harrison Goodman - Pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, San Antonio, TX

• Rev. Rich Heinz - Assistant Vice President for Mission & Ministry at Concordia University Chicago

Concordia University, Mequon, WI

• Rev. Jacob Ehrhard - Pastor at St. John Lutheran Church, Chicago, IL

• Rev. Brian Mosemann - Assistant Professor of Theology, Concordia University, Mequon, WI

Concordia University, Irvine, CA

• Rev. Duane Bamsch, Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, Terra Bella, CA

• Dr. Jeff Mallinson, Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Concordia University, Irvine, CA

Breakout sessions

Get excited! The breakout sessions for each conference have been announced! Start planning which sessions your group would like to attend right now! You do not need to pre-register for the classes. They are first come, first served.  

To preview the breakout sessions for your conference, use the links below:

Nebraska Breakout Sessions
Minnesota Breakout Sessions
Illinois Breakout Sessions
Wisconsin Breakout Sessions
California Breakout Sessions

Pre-Conference Bible Studies

A three-part Bible study on the theme of “Concordia” has now been released. Feel free to use them with your group before the conference! You can find them here: 2019 Conference Bible Studies

Coming Soon

• Worship and Entertainment

The first conference of the season begins in one month! We wish you luck with all of your final preparations, and covet your prayers as we continue to work on ours!

“The Word of the Lord endures forever.”
(1 Peter 1:25)

“Concordia.” It literally means “with one heart” in Latin. The Church is unified around the confession of Jesus as our Lord and Savior like a congregation singing together in many different parts but singing the same song together in perfect harmony.

Concordia isn’t just a feeling that we are one. It’s not only something that we strive to have. We don’t sacrifice what we believe in order to be unified. True Concord is always centered around the confession of Christ and Him crucified!

God speaks. We receive His words into our ears. He gives our tongues the words to say to Him and to those around us. We repeat, together, His Words back to Him. We sing them, we confess them, all agreeing together, “with one heart and voice” our confession of Jesus!

In a world where youth are tempted to compromise, Higher Things is excited to plan our 2019 Conferences centered on the theme of the Church and Unity.