Dates for 2027 are February 21st through the 26th.
Speakers for 2027 are Mary J. Streufert, PhD and Rev. Dr. Rachel Wrenn!
Mary J. Streufert, PhD, serves as director for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment in the Office of the Presiding Bishop. Within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), she advances deep change to challenge patriarchy and sexism from an intersectional perspective through theological formation, education, production, and networking. She is the author of numerous theological articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries, as well as Language for God (2022) and Transformative Lutheran Theologies: Feminist, Womanist, and Mujerista Perspectives (ed., 2010). Her co-authored forthcoming book with Mary E. Lowe, PhD, is ReEngaging Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action (2025). Lowe and Streufert also co-wrote and produced most of the ELCA study guide for the 2019 ELCA social statement, Faith, Sexism, and Justice: A Call to Action. She holds a BA from Valparaiso University, an MA from Oregon State University, and a PhD from Claremont Graduate University. She met her spouse at Holden, and they have three young adult children and live with her elderly parents in Saint Joseph, Michigan. She roots her days in daily walks on the shoreline and loves to eat, play board games, and read mysteries.
The Rev. Dr. Rachel Wrenn teaches biblical studies at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Her research interests include the Psalms, biblical bodies and emotions, divine-human relationships, and Old Testament roots of the New Testament. Dr. Wrenn has published multiple articles on anger in the Psalms and in liturgies.
Dr. Wrenn is an ordained Lutheran (ELCA) pastor. A sought-after presenter, she often speaks at pastoral gatherings and lay church conferences. Dr. Wrenn has also written multiple articles on biblical commentary and preaching for WorkingPreacher.org. She is the co-host of the podcast First Reading, an Old Testament lectionary podcast for preachers and teachers of the Bible (https://firstreadingpodcast.com/). Dr. Wrenn invites and challenges her students to experience both the delights and the difficulties of the biblical text.
Dr. Wrenn is an ordained Lutheran (ELCA) pastor. A sought-after presenter, she often speaks at pastoral gatherings and lay church conferences. Dr. Wrenn has also written multiple articles on biblical commentary and preaching for WorkingPreacher.org. She is the co-host of the podcast First Reading, an Old Testament lectionary podcast for preachers and teachers of the Bible (https://firstreadingpodcast.com/). Dr. Wrenn invites and challenges her students to experience both the delights and the difficulties of the biblical text.
