OCTOBER 8-10, 2025
BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO

REGISTRATION is OPEN

Educator Registration
(Click above to register teachers, principals, directors, DCEs, aides, music directors, and lay leaders.)

Pastor and Deaconess Registration
(Click above to register pastors and deaconesses)

School Leaders’ Conference
(Click above to register for the Tuesday PM-Wednesday AM conference)

Registration closes September 22, 2025

Book Lodging at Beaver Run

PASTOR’S GENERAL SESSION SPEAKER

Rev. Dr. Joel C. Elowsky – Pastor General Sessions
The Soul’s Charioteer: Dealing with the Passions in the Early Church and Today

What controls you? What drives you? What is your passion? The early church explored these questions using Scripture and the philosophy of the day. Their concern, however, was more with the first two questions than the last one. They recognized that Scripture’s presentation of the passions, when used properly, can draw us closer to God. But they also understood how the passions can draw us and our people away from God. They used the image of a charioteer who tries to control two horses running in opposite directions in the arena. But for them the arena was the soul. This is where the fathers, especially the monks, spend much of their time because they were not only deep thinkers, but also pastors. Much of pastoral care is spent dealing with the passions—our own and our people’s. But what are the passions and is there anything we can do to control them?

Session 1: The Problem
Session 2 (extended session): The Remedy
Session 3: Acedia: The Noon-day Demon as a 21^st Century Passion of the Clergy

Learn more about Dr. Elowsky

Rev. Joel C Elowsky (Ph.D. Drew University) is the Frank and Valerie Fuerst Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO, Dean of Advanced Studies, and the Director of the Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts. Among his previous positions, he served as the Research Director and Operations Manager at Drew University for the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (InterVarsity Press) as well as Associate Professor of Theology at Concordia University Wisconsin. He has written or edited more than a dozen books and authored numerous articles on early Christianity and History of Exegesis. He began his ministry as a mission developer with the SELC district outside of Atlantic City where he spent 9 years planting a church. He is married to Joy, a parish director of music. He has two sons: Christian, a software developer; and Luke, a newly ordained parish pastor who is married to Julianna. They have a one-year-old daughter, Hope (our first grandchild).

EDUCATOR GENERAL SESSION SPEAKERS

Dr. Joe Martin – Wednesday and Thursday

Dr. Joe Martin, Ed. D is an award-winning, internationally known speaker, university professor, and author. He holds a B.A. Degree in Public Relations, M.A. Degree in Mass Communication, and an Education Doctorate in Curriculum Development. He has taught students at all levels in K-12, including Title I, alternative ed, and gifted students. As an educational speaker and consultant he has trained thousands of speakers and administrators.

Wednesday Session: Teach and Grow Rich

Wouldn’t it be nice if YOU could:
…make every Monday feel like a Friday?
…re-discover the passion and purpose in your position?
…ignore other people’s negative attitudes, opinions, and criticisms?

The secret to success does have a formula: the more you give, the more you get.

Even in today’s fast-paced world, it’s a fact that if you help enough people (students and colleagues) get what they want, you’ll have a better chance of getting what you want. But how do you do it? Dr. Joe will share three, proven service strategies to help you become your own miracle worker (regardless of your school or ministry setting.

Thursday Session: Motivate to Educate

How many times have you heard the phrase, “I give up, he just won’t learn!” So, what came first, education or motivation? Studies show that you can’t teach a child anything unless you can first get the child to listen. That’s where motivation comes into play.
The #1 question on most educators’ minds is, “How do I motivate learners?” The answer is NOT as difficult as you may think. There’s only one type of motivation, and that’s “self-motivation.” You’ve probably heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water…” Yes, and the same holds true for students; “You can lead a student to school, but you can’t make him think.”
The key to motivating is to first find out what motivates them and then use that against them (in a positive way). If you think you’ve tried everything…think again. There’s still hope to “motivate to educate.”

Friday Morning – Walking with Families Amid Shifting Questions of Identity

Our final day features two voices offering clarity and compassion on questions of gender, sexuality, and identity. A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Julia Sadusky, will provide insight into how these issues are shaping students psychologically and emotionally, helping us respond with both conviction and care. Then, Rev. Scott Abel, of Our Father Lutheran Church, will offer a pastoral and biblical perspective – showing how Scripture speaks to the identity questions of our time with truth, grace, and enduring hope.

To Whom Shall We Go? Holding Fast to God’s Word in a Culture of Shifting Identities

Learn more about Rev. Abel and his presentation

To Whom Shall We Go?
Holding Fast to God’s Word in a Culture of Shifting Identities

In John 6, as the crowds began to walk away from Jesus because His teaching was “too hard,” He turned to His disciples and asked, “Do you want to leave Me too?” Peter answered with the only hope that remains:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

For Lutheran school teachers and church workers, those words feel especially urgent today. Many of you teach and care for students who are navigating questions of identity, worth, and belonging – and you do it in a culture that often labels biblical teaching as harsh, outdated, or even harmful.

We’ll explore how Western culture came to center personal identity around sexual orientation and gender – how modern thinking has turned inward feelings, desires, and self-definition into core markers of who we are. And we’ll contrast that fragile framework with the far better story the Bible tells.

This session is not driven by fear or reaction. It is an invitation to return to something deeper – and far more hopeful. Together, we will step back and remember why we hold fast to God’s Word – not simply to resist what is false, but to rejoice in what is true, good, and life-giving.

I pray that you will leave this session with renewed confidence – not only in Scripture’s truth, but in its goodness. And that you will be better equipped to walk with clarity and compassion as you point students, parents, and colleagues to the only One who still has “the words of eternal life.”

Rev. Scott Abel
Scott Abel has served as a Lutheran pastor for over 20 years and currently serves as the lead pastor of Our Father Lutheran Church in Centennial, Colorado. In recent years, as questions of gender, identity, and self-worth have become more prominent, Scott has devoted significant time to studying these cultural shifts and walking with families in his congregation who are navigating them.

With a heart for both theological clarity and pastoral care, Scott is passionate about helping people discover something far deeper and more beautiful than the narratives of our age – the life-giving truth found in God’s Word. His work centers on equipping others to engage these difficult conversations not from fear, but from confidence in the goodness of the gospel and the clarity of Scripture.

Education in a World of Changing Norms Around Sexuality & Gender

Learn more about Dr. Sadusky and her presentation

Education in a World of Changing Norms Around Sexuality & Gender
As cultural understandings of sexuality and gender continue to shift, educators, parents, and ministry leaders face increasing challenges in guiding students and families through these complex topics. In this session, Dr. Julia Sadusky will provide a thoughtful, research-based framework for understanding contemporary discussions on sexuality and gender identity. Drawing from psychological research, theological insights, and lived experiences, she will offer practical guidance for Christian education.

Dr. Julia Sadusky is a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of a private practice in Littleton, CO. She is also an author, consultant, speaker, and adjunct professor. Dr. Sadusky has done extensive research and clinical work in sexual and gender development and specializes in trauma-informed care. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Ave Maria University and a master’s degree and doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Regent University. She has authored several books around human sexuality, with her most recent two-book series entitled, “Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics” (Ave Maria Press, 2023) and “Talking with Your Teen about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics (Ave Maria Press, 2024).

SECTIONAL PROPOSALS

In addition to worship and keynote speakers, the fall conference provides an opportunity for pastors and educators to learn from one another in sectionals that focus on various specialized topics.

- Do you have a unit or chapel message that everyone says is fantastic?

- Do you have words of wisdom for other educators or fellow pastors?

- Do you have a program at your church or school that has improved enrollment, parent involvement, test scores, or student performance?

- Do you know another church worker that fits the above?

Please complete and submit this SECTIONAL PROPOSAL to be considered for presenting.

EARLY CHILDHOOD SERIES

As in previous years, we will have a speaker at the conference to present a series of Early Childhood workshops. This year we are pleased to welcome back Early Childhood Specialist, Cheryl Haun presenting the following workshops: