Who here would be interested in attending a Lutheran homeschool conference? We would! Actually, all sorts of Lutheran conferences interest us. Hence this page for Lutheran conferences, camps, and retreats.

Lutheran homeschooling conferences have happened. Back in 2012, a Lutheran co-op hosted a very informative homeschooling conference in Wichita. In July 2020, the Wyoming District of the LCMS hosted one. Now an ELS group holds regular symposia. Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Carlisle, Iowa, holds one annually!

If you are ever inspired to do the same, let us know and we’ll help spread the word about it! (Please try to give people at minimum three months notice if you want more than locals to attend. Thanks!)

The folks at LutheranHomeschool.com are not planning our own Lutheran homeschooling conference at this time. Still, we are happy to let you know about as many Lutheran conferences and retreats as we can!

Meanwhile, here is a list of Lutheran conferences and retreats, along with a prayer that these programs and offerings can be helpful to you and your family.

For more free Lutheran educational resources, go here. For more free Lutheran resources of a more general nature, go here. And suggestions for more are always welcome! Thanks!

Lutheran Conferences, Camps & Retreats

Camps

• Lutheran music camps
  1. Bethany Lutheran College offers Honor Choir Camp for high schoolers.
  2. Lutheran Summer Music (an independent Lutheran organisation) offers orchestra opportunities for grades 8-12.
  3. Some regional camps offer band camps, such as Camp LuWiSoMo in Wisconsin, for fifth through eighth graders.
  4. Also see “Organist Workshop” below.
• Regional Camps
  1. The National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association (NLOMA) works with regional LCMS camps throughout the United States. Go here to see which camps may be close to you.
  2. For WELS camps, look here.

Confirmation Retreats

• Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, offers Christ Academy Confirmation Retreats

Disaster Response

LCMS Disaster Response offers an annual Disaster Response Conference, often in October.

Deaf Interpreter Training

Lutheran Friends of the Deaf

• Church Interpreter Training Institute (CITI) offers summer intensives for beginners and experienced, regionally and on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.
• Sign Language Camp to teach children ages 8 to 16 American Sign Language (ASL) in Mill Neck, NY.

Education

• The Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE) has an annual conference, well-attended by both classical school teachers and homeschoolers. (LCMS) Here is their YouTube page for 2020 CCLE XX Online.
• The Lutheran Homeschool Association has a regular symposium at Bethany Lutheran College.

European and/or International Lutheran Conferences

• Corpus Christie
• Lutheran Study Days

Family Retreats

• Redeemer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, hosts a family retreat the first week of August.
• Wittenberg Academy has an annual Wittenberg Family Retreat.

Life Issues

• March for Life
• Lutherans for Life host regional conferences throughout the year.

Men’s Conferences and Retreats

• Evanguard, which comes from “evangelical” and “vanguard,” is focused on biblical masculinity and manhood for all boys 8 and older.

Organist Workshop

• Primer Level for Organist & Service Playing for Pianists
• Intermediate and Advanced Level Organists

Pastoral

• The Bugenhagen Conference: A three-day conference for pastors on practical theology in Racine, Wisconsin, at the end of July.
• Doxology: A series of advanced study retreats to strengthen pastors for the task of faithfully shepherding souls.
• Grace Place Wellness offers programming for church workers, pastors’ wives, and ministry teams.

Theological, Catechetical, or Worship-Focused

• Association for Confessional Lutherans, often a week or two after Easter in Minneapolis.
• Concordia Catechetical Academy Symposium is the third Thursday and Friday in June and focuses on ongoing Lutheran catechesis.
• Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, hosts an annual symposium in September.
• Issues, Etc. Conference
• Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, hosts a Symposia: back to back Exegetical Symposia followed by a Systematic Symposia near the end of January every year.
• The Good Shepherd Conference, hosted at the CTWFW campus, is typically early November.
• Gottesdienst Conference is in October in Kewanee, Illinois.
• Luther Hostel is an opportunity for laity as well as pastors and other church workers to retreat to the Fort Wayne seminary, gathering for worship, study, and fellowship.
• Redeemer, Fort Wayne, hosts the Redeemer Conference just prior to the Symposia at CTSFW
• Steadfast Lutherans host regional conferences.

Youth Conferences (Also see Youth Programs)

• Higher Things (Check out their website for more information on their magazine, conferences, retreats, and additional resources)
• National Youth Gathering

Youth & Young Adult Programs

• Concordia Seminary, St. Louis offers the following:
  • Taste of the Sem in February for high school gentlemen
  • Vocatio for high school ladies and gentlemen in June
  • Green & Gold Days for college students and second-career ladies and gentlemen in February, April, and November
  • Contemplate for college students and second-career ladies and gentlemen in March and October
• Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana offers “Christ Academy” programs.
  • Christ Academy College provides undergraduate men and women interested in pastoral or diakonal service an opportunity to discover what CTSFW has to offer.
  • Phoebe School is a two-week summer conference for high school ladies interested in theology and liturgical worship. During that time, they also learn about becoming trained as a deaconess to share “the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of mercy and human care.”
  • Prayerfully Consider visits allow men and women, along with their families, to explore pastoral and diakonal formation and contemplation on the vocations of pastor and deaconess.
  • Timothy School is a two-week summer conference for high school gentlemen interested in theology and liturgical worship. It is an opportunity to explore the Office of Holy Ministry for those considering seminary and pursuing ordination.
• Lutheran Young Adult Corps: Young adults can serve for 10 weeks in the summer or 10 months as a gap year.

(For what it’s worth, the national LCMS convention is every three years, and LCMS districts typically have two church worker or pastoral conferences at year.)