By Brianna Dehn
Registration is open for “Dying Well in Christ: A Forum on the Church’s Care at Life’s End,” set for July 7–9 on the campus of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL). The forum will discuss topics of death and dying and the church’s role in a Christian’s last hours. Featured speakers come from across The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) and include seminary presidents and faculty members, district presidents, and experts in the fields of thanatology, hospice, ethics and spiritual care. Plenary speakers for the conference are:
- Rev. Dr. Gilbert Meilaender, senior research professor, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind.;
- William G. Hoy, associate director and clinical professor emeritus in the Medical Humanities Program, Baylor University, Waco, Texas;
- Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb, Reformation scholar and emeritus professor at CSL;
- Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller, pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas; and
- Jon Zwick, funeral director, embalmer and general manager, Zwick and Jahn Funeral Home, Decatur, Ind.; and board member, Indiana Funeral Directors Association.
Featured sectional presenters include Deaconess Dr. Tiffany Manor, managing director for the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM), and the Rev. Andy Becker, manager of family discipleship for the ONM.
In addition to the five plenary speakers, the forum will feature four sectionals with nine session options. Other events include daily worship, a hymn festival focused on funeral hymnody, a guided tour through Concordia Cemetery in St. Louis, a funeral service as directed by Lutheran Service Book, and more.
“Our whole life as a child of God is, [or] should be, a preparation for that last hour,” said Deaconess Pamela Nielsen, conference organizer. “The church’s chief role is to deliver the saints safely into the arms of Christ. … What we do in church — what we teach, what we preach — it all impacts how we’re preparing people to meet their Lord.”
This conference is not just for pastors. Anyone who is interested in the topic of death and dying and how the church can care for those in their last moments is welcome to come.
“There will be comfort; there will be deep, great teaching; there will be joy in the resurrection and knowing whose we are and who we will be with when our last hour comes,” Nielsen said. “At the end of the day, the whole conference will point us to Christ and the sure and certain hope of salvation in Christ Jesus for all eternity.”
The conference is made possible by the generous support and encouragement of many organizations and individuals, including Lutherans for Life, CSL, LCMS Life Ministry, Lutheran Church Extension Fund, Concordia Publishing House, the LCMS South Wisconsin and Texas Districts, and Worship Anew.
Early bird registration (through May 15) is $175, which includes access to plenary sessions, worship services, sectional sessions and the following meals: dinner on campus July 7, lunch on campus July 8, and dinner at Das Bevo (with cash bar) July 8. The rate increases for standard (by June 15) or late (by July 7) registration. In addition, a reduced rate is available for Lutheran seminary students.
For more information or to register, visit csl.edu/dying-well-forum.
Brianna Dehn (brianna.dehn@lcms.org) is a staff writer for LCMS Communications.
Posted April 4, 2025
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