Concordia Deaconess Conference Fosters Theological Growth and Fellowship

Hosted by St. John's Lutheran Church and underwritten by a Synod grant, the gathering served as a structured interval of theological study, liturgical formation, and professional fellowship for women serving in recognized diaconal roles across varied ministry contexts.

Conference Structure and Substance

The four-day schedule operated on three coordinated tracks: scriptural study, liturgical worship, and organizational governance. Deaconess Amanda Mumm, the conference's chair of spiritual and professional growth, reported the scope of the assembly, writing that it brought "nearly 100 deaconess sisters from all over the world together."

Scriptural instruction centered on the Book of Psalms, led by the Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing. Liturgical formation rested with Pastor Adam Steinbrenner, the conference's spiritual counselor, who presided over Word and Sacrament ministry across the event. A formal business meeting resolved administrative matters, and breakout sessions added a layer of peer-led formation across the body.

Institutional support traveled along two channels. St. John's Lutheran Church in Dublin served as the operational host, its members providing meals, child care, and physical space for the duration. An LCMS grant covered the broader conference budget, reflecting the Synod's direct investment in the stewardship of continuing diaconal formation.

Liturgical and Formation Framework

Worship followed an ordered daily office pattern: Evening Prayer, Matins, a hymn sing, and Divine Service, with each day concluding in the praying of the Deaconess Litany. The latter text, composed by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Korby, gives thanks to God for the opportunity to "unite our hearts to praise Your name" and acknowledges the character of diaconal work as that of those "who work in isolated places," gathering in person for mutual encouragement.

The conference theme drew from Romans 12:1–2, framing the assembly around the presentation of the body as a living sacrifice and the transformation of the mind for discernment of God's will. The passage functioned as the theological rubric governing the formation cycle and gave the gathering its internal coherence across study, prayer, and business.

Three institutions currently provide deaconess training within the LCMS system: Concordia University Chicago, Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne. The conference served as a continuity point for graduates of these programs and as a formation milestone for deaconesses already in active service, reinforcing the ecclesial network that sustains rostered women in diaconal ministry.

What to Monitor Next

Conference proceedings typically generate downstream resources: study notes, catechetical recordings, and breakout materials that travel beyond the assembled body. Readers invested in diaconal formation should monitor the LCMS Reporter and the Synod's deaconess ministry communications for the publication of artifacts from the 2026 assembly. Such materials function as the primary vehicle through which conference content reaches congregations and rostered workers who were not present, and they are the most actionable downstream output of the gathering. Tracking their release is the practical point of engagement for communities unable to send a delegate to Dublin.