A pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, he is the author of several books, including Holy Things: A Liturgical Theology (Fortress 1993), Holy People: A Liturgical Ecclesiology (Fortress 1999), Holy Ground: A Liturgical Cosmology (Fortress 2003), and The Pastor: A Spirituality (Fortress 2006). 

He was a participant on two drafting committees involved in the preparation of the North American liturgical resource, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006). 

He has lectured widely, in several countries, and participated in the work of the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Worship and Culture Study of the Lutheran World Federation. He is an Editorial Consultant of the journal Worship. 

In 1985 he was the President of the North American Academy of Liturgy and in 2006 he received that professional organization’s Berakah Award. He is also a member of the Council of Societas Liturgica, the international society of scholars in liturgy.

Gordon Lathrop in The Pastor:  A Spirituality
“…preaching is in trouble in North America today. Perhaps this trouble follows from our distrust of authority of any kind, and, therefore, our distrust of any single speaker who rises “six feet above contradiction”…Perhaps the trouble roots in our deep distrust of words, used in our culture so frequently to sell, to garner votes and, as if by a widespread mutual agreement, to deceive…But at least one possibility for our confusion about preaching may be our loss of the sense of its place in both ordo and assembly, our loss of the sense that preaching is to awaken faith amid the real circumstance of the needy world…”

“The task of preaching ought not to be seen as a lonely one… And yet, one person…must arise and take authority to speak out of the Scriptures that the community has read…
That one person’s voice must be honest.”

“…this sermon ought to be a biblical event…And yet, preachers need to be careful here:  preaching is not commentary, not biblical lecture, not mere biblically influenced rhetoric.The purpose of the texts is not for the assembly to imagine how things might have been in other times, but to encounter the biblical God.”

“Preaching ought to be an eschatological event, the presence of God to create faith … the eschatological presence of God is in “law” and “gospel”, in the articulation of local need and the proclamation of the presence of holy mercy, in telling the truth about death and life. A preacher … must honestly speak of our common need and faithfully speak of the present mercy of the triune God.”

When is the conference? 3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 28 through 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, September 30, 2008.

Where is the conference?
Turkey Run State Park, Marshall, Indiana

Check out the Turkey Run Web site. Those wishing to use the campgrounds and provide for their own meals may do that. An indoor pool is available at the Turkey Run Inn for all registered guests.

What does the conference cost?
Because of the arrangements with Turkey Run Inn, no reduced registrations or partial meal packages can be offered to those who are unable to attend the entire conference.

	Registration	Housing/Meals	Total Cost
Camper*	$45	$50 (meals only)	$95
Double Room	$45	$135	$180
Single Room	$45	$220	$265

*Campers must make their own campsite reservations.

Agenda
Sunday
3:00	Arrival
6:00	Registration and Refreshments
7:00	Gathering Eucharist
8:00	Session One with Gordon Lathrop Fellowship Time, Wine and Cheese
Monday
7:30	Breakfast in the Inn restaurant
8:45	Morning devotions
9:00	Session Two with Gordon Lathrop
10:30	Break
10:45	Session Three with Gordon Lathrop
12:15	Lunch in the Inn restaurant
1:00-5:30	Free Time
5:30	Dinner in the Inn restaurant
7:00	Sharing the Truth About Ourselves
8:15	Healing Mass
Tuesday
7:30	Breakfast in the Inn restaurant
8:45	Speaking the Truth with Bishop Stuck
10:00	Evaluation
10:15	Sending Eucharist