Below is a list of presentation that I can give to your group, be it an adult forum (just not on Sunday morning), a meeting of congregational leaders, judicatory groups, or denominational gatherings. Most of these presentations are a single, hour long presentation, but that can generally be adjusted.
The Actors are Come Hither: God's Promise of Vocation Given in Public Christian Worship - A presentation of my dissertation on worship and how it helps people get a sense of how God is calling them.
And Then It was Worship: Framing Art in Worship for the Sake of the Congregation - This presentation is intended to help a group reflect on how art is used as part of worship. It starts with an experience of being drawn into worship while watching television.
Bells Still Are Chiming: The Reported Collapse of Modern American Christendom and Your Congregation - Explores the history of Christianity in the United States with the 2014 Pew Research Religious Landscape Study as a primary lens.
Christian Prayer Traditions - A multi-session class with one session presenting the idea of the practice or tradition and the second doing and reflecting on the practice or tradition, sessions can include: silence, lectio divina, prayer beads, prayer labyrinth, free prayer, scripted prayer, etc.
God's Servant for Your Good: An Overview of Lutheranism and Government - Uses Jefferson's idea of the wall of separation between church and state to reflect on Luther's idea of a wall of separation between state and church and how God calls Christians in democracies to live into being responsible citizens.
Horney Moses: The Faulty Development of Biblical Support Against Homosexuality - Reflects on the power of translation and mistranslation to affect the life of the Church for generations, and how that has been used to attach the LGBTQ+ community since 1952. RSV, I’m looking at you…
Immediately Forget What They Looked Like: Sifting through the 2014 Religious Landscape Study Data on the ELCA - A realistic look at what the Pew Research report means for ministry, preaching, and one way of being Lutheran in the United States. Not for the faint of heart.
Is That a Word?: What is Missional Church and Why It (Still) Matters - A somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at the missional church movement and what it means for congregations and denominations today.
It Still Shapes You: Worship Styles and Hearing God's Call - Coming out of my dissertation, this presentation looks at different ways of worship and how they shape our mind to hear God's call in our daily lives.
Pilate's Question: Truth and Scriptures - Usually a multi-session class, but can be done in a single session, that picks up the question of what truth is, especially for those of us who claim to be disciples of one who called himself the Truth.
Playing Around: Unexpected Connections Between Corporate Worship and Board Games - As hobby board games rise in popularity, this board gamer has notices some connections worth highlighting.
Reading the Numbers: Theology and Sociology Together - This presentation is a careful look at the balance between what we believe, what studies of our culture show us, and how to keep the two in balance.
Theodicy: Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen to Good People? - A short presentation followed by guided conversation to help groups wrestle with one of the chief arguments against faith in God.
Use the Handbrake!: Slowing Your Thinking Down to Think God First - One of the general aims of how and why I do systematic theology and theology in general, this presentation encourages intentional and sustained practice in reflecting on what God might be up to in any given situation instead of just reacting.
Vocation: The Life of the Church - This presentation can be either a one-session overview or a series. Here is the series outline:
Pre-Reformation Ideas of Vocation (Early history and theology),
Reformation Rethinking of Vocation (Modern history and theology),
American Pragmatism and Vocation (Current history and theology),
A Lutheran Theology of Vocation (How this all applies to your everyday life),
Your Congregation and Vocation (How this all applies to the congregation), and
Post-Colonial Vocation for Post-Modernity (How this all applies in culture).
Why We Die: A Theological Conversation - Everyone dies. As Christians, we have hope beyond death, but that shouldn't excuse us from wrestling with universal issue.
For more intentional conversations, I am also a trainer with Church Innovations and would enjoy working with your group to discover the various way the Six Missional Practices opens you to being lead into renewal and excitement by the Holy Spirit.
Don't see a topic here that you'd like me to present on, just ask.