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Symposium 2016 Presenters

A list of presenters from the 2016 Symposium on Worship

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posted on February 11, 2016

Some presenters' workshops were recorded (audio or video).

Jennifer Ackerman, director of the Micah Groups program with the Ogilvie Institute of Preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she equips ministry leaders in their journey to become empowered, wise preachers who live and lead at the convergence of worship, preaching, and justice. 

  • Seminar A3: Solid Resources for Lively Preaching
  • Vesper Service: God of Justice, Love, and Mercy
  • Workshop B1: Fostering a Safe Place for Courageous Conversations: Lessons Learned from 100 Peer Clergy Groups around the World

Vanessa Allen, assistant director of the Grand Rapids African American Youth Chorus and music specialist for Grand Rapids Public Schools.

  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Students from Anima: the Forum for Worship and Arts at Samford University. Anima exists to help young people connect their imagination, creativity, and enthusiasm to all the possibilities inherent in worship and the arts.

  • Seminar A1: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Seminar B1: Worship 201: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Workshop C10: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship

Emily Snider Andrews, instructor of church music and worship leadership at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, where she teaches courses in music and worship. She is also an ordained minister and a Ph.D. Theology candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary.

  • Seminar B1: Worship 201: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship

Grant Austin, a member of the communications and marketing team at Calvin College.

  • Workshop C6: Learning about Twitter (offered Friday only)

Mariano Avila, professor of New Testament and director of the Certificate in Hispanic Ministry Program, Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The certificate program trains pastors and leaders in the Grand Rapids area in strategic areas of ministry to enhance their service to the church.

  • Seminar B6: Gifts of Hispanic and Latino Protestants in North America

David M. Bailey, director of Arrabon and program affiliate with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Arrabon is a ministry that provides cultural training and worship resources for reconciling Christian communities.

  • Seminar A4: Best Contemporary Worship Music You May Not Know
  • Seminar B3: Worship Leader as Pastoral Musician
  • Isaiah 60: Friday and Saturday morning worship, musician
  • Workshop C1: Principles of an Urban Doxology

Jeff Barker, professor of theatre at Northwestern College, Orange City, Iowa, and author of The Storytelling Church: Adventures of Reclaiming the Role of Story in Church (Webber Institute Books, 2011). Jeff also teaches in the doctoral program at the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

  • Seminar A9: The Artistry of Scripture for Biblical Storytellers
  • Seminar B9: The Body and Voice of Worship Words
  • Vesper Service: Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?
  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
  • Workshop B2: When Music Helps Us Hear the Bible
  • Isaiah 60: Friday and Saturday morning worship

Robert J. Batastini, retired vice president and senior editor of GIA Publications, Inc., of Chicago. He has served in parish music ministry for 60 years.

  • Seminar A2: Preparing to Remember the Reformation
  • Seminar B7: Heartsongs for Good Friday and Easter: Insights and Inspiration from Worshiping Communities Across North America and Around the World
  • Workshop A1: Spanish and English Together: Learning and Worshiping Interculturally

Bruce Benedict, chaplain of worship and the arts at Hope College, Holland, Michigan. He directs the Hope College Worship Team, a group of students committed to learning about and leading in worship. He is the founder of Cardiphonia, an ongoing collaboration of artists and musicians giving their first fruits to the church.

  • Isaiah 53: Worship Service, musician
  • Seminar A4: Best Contemporary Worship Music You May Not Know
  • Vesper Service: My Soul Finds Rest in God: Psalms of Praise, Lament, and Hope
  • Workshop B3: Writing and Recording Worship Music with Your Music Team

J. Todd Billings, Gordon H. Girod Research Professor of Reformed Theology at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan, and the author of several books including Union with Christ (Baker Academic, 2011), winner of a Christianity Today Book Award, and Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling with Incurable Cancer and Life in Christ (Brazos, 2015).

  • Seminar A5: Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling With Incurable Cancer, Cancerous Racism, and Life in Christ
  • Workshop A2: Rediscovering Biblical Lament and Christian Hope in a Congregational Context

Joyce Borger, editor of Reformed Worship; team leader of Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church; and editor of Lift Up Your Hearts: Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2013).

Michael Burkhardt, organist, choral clinician, and director of worship and the arts at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Livonia, Michigan. He is internationally known for his innovative and inspiring hymn festivals and for his creative work with children.

  • Retreat 2: Leading Congregations in Song: Techniques and Resources for Organists
  • Vesper Service: The Good News for the Hurting, A Service of Scripture and Song
  • Isaiah 61: Worship service, musician
  • Workshop B4: May I Have This Dance?

Calvin College Worship Apprentices, an application-based year-long program for any Calvin student seeking to develop his or her leadership gifts and interests within the context of worship.

  • Isaiah 43, worship service
  • Seminar A1: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Seminar B1: Worship 201: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Workshop C10: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship

Mark Charles, speaker, writer, and consultant who works on issues of race, culture, and faith. He works through the ministry 5 Small Loaves and is a program affiliate with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in the area of worship and culture.

  • Seminar A5: Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling With Incurable Cancer, Cancerous Racism, and Life in Christ
  • Workshop A3: A Cross-Cultural, Multi-Generational Discussion on Contextualized Worship

Michael C. Chen, lay member at LaSalle Street Church in Chicago, and project director of their Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Vital Worship grant which created opportunities for the congregation to cultivate a culture of story-telling by exploring new ways to tell and listen to scriptural narratives, and finding linkages between scriptural narratives and life journeys.

Peter Choi, pastor at City Church San Francisco, senior fellow at the Newbigin House of Studies, and a member of the Newbigin Faculty at Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Michigan.

  • Seminar A2: Preparing to Remember the Reformation
  • Seminar B5: Connecting Sunday's Worship to Monday's Work
  • Workshop B5: The Promise and Peril of Preaching for Revival: Lessons from George Whitefield's Life and Ministry
  • Workshop C2: What Does World Christianity Mean for Your Church?

The Choral Scholars, one of West Michigan’s premiere chamber ensembles with repertoire spanning a variety of sacred and secular genres. The group has performed in concert series and festivals throughout the region, as well as giving giving several of its own concerts each year.

  • Vesper Service: A Service of Scripture and Song

Todd Cioffi, assistant professor in the Congregational and Ministries Studies department at Calvin College, and director of Jubilee Fellows, a year-long program designed to mentor 12 Calvin students in Christian leadership and church ministry, and to foster the next generation of church leaders.

  • Workshop A4: The Church as Intergenerational Community
  • Workshop C3: The Church Behind Bars (offered Friday only)

Carlos Colón, composer, liturgist, and native of El Salvador; coordinator for worship initiatives at Baylor University and resident scholar at Baylor Institute for the Studies of Religion, Waco, Texas.

  • Seminar B6: Gifts of Hispanic and Latino Protestants in North America
  • Workshop A5: A Refugee Looks at the Psalms of Ascent (Friday)
  • Workshop A5: Un Refugiado Mira a los Salmos del Ascenso (Saturday/Sábado)

Ann Conklin, pastor at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  • Workshop A2: Rediscovering Biblical Lament and Christian Hope in a Congregational Context

Dale Cooper, resource specialist for liturgical spirituality at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Calvin College chaplain emeritus, and adjunct faculty in the department of Congregational and Ministry Studies at Calvin College.

  • Retreat 1: While We Are Waiting, Yielded and Still

María Cornou, program manager for international and intercultural learning, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She is completing her PhD in theology with the Free University of Amsterdam.

  • Seminar B6: Gifts of Hispanic and Latino Protestants in North America
  • Workshop A1: Spanish and English Together: Learning and Worshiping Interculturally
  • Workshop B6: El culto como práctica formativa (Saturday/Sábado)
  • Workshop C5: Discerning the Body--Shaping Perceptions about Catholic and Protestant Identity

Michael J. Crosbie, editor-in-chief of Faith & Form, a journal that exists to provide and exchange knowledge, insight, and creativity among those who create and use religious art and architecture. He is also professor of architecture at University of Hartford.

  • Seminar A8: The Formative Power of Art and Architecture in Worship
  • Workshop C4: Revitalized Worship Spaces

Karetha Davis, founder and artistic director of Grand Rapids African American Youth Chorus, whose primary purpose is to bring cultural awareness of the rich and diverse legacy of African American composers and arrangers. She is a retired music specialist from the Grand Rapids Public School system.

  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Lisa De Boer, professor of art, Westmont College, and author of The Visual Arts in the Worshiping Church (forthcoming, Eerdmans).

  • Seminar A8: The Formative Power of Art and Architecture in Worship
  • Workshop B8: Compare and Contrast: Learning from the Visual Arts across Christian Traditions

Phil de Haan, senior public relations specialist for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

  • Workshop C6: Learning about Twitter (offered Friday only)

Kevin den Dulk, professor of political science and director of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College.

Norma de Waal Malefyt, resource development specialist for congregational song, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, and co-author of Designing Worship Together (Alban Institute, 2005).

  • Retreat 2: Leading Congregations in Song: Techniques and Resources for Organists
  • Isaiah 65, Saturday Closing Communion Worship Service, musician

Elizabeth Dias, correspondent for TIME magazine, where she has written cover stories on American Christianity, interviewed the Dalai Lama, and traveled with Pope Francis. She is the editor of What Did Jesus Ask? (TIME Books, 2015), a collection of 70+ modern meditations on Christ's questions of faith. She is a graduate of Wheaton College and Princeton Theological Seminary. 

  • Workshop B7: How the News Shapes Our Prayers and Preaching: Deepening our Loving Engagement with the World God Loves
  • Workshop C5: Discerning the Body--Shaping Perceptions about Catholic and Protestant Identity

Fuller Seminary Chapel Team from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California.

  • Vesper Service: God of Justice, Love, and Mercy

Nate Glasper, Jr.,  assistant conductor of the Calvin College Gospel Choir and director of Grand Rapids Christian High School Gospel Choir. He is a member of Grace for the Nations Church in Grand Rapids, where he serves as worship leader and church administrator.

  • Isaiah 43: Worship service
  • Seminar A1: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Peggy Goetz, associate professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College. Her research explores the experiences of stroke survivors in their church communities.

  • Workshop B9: Stroke Survivors in our Worship Communities (offered Friday only)

Jennifer Graffius, director of chapel and staff spiritual formation, Fuller Theological Seminary. She is ordained in the Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.

  • Vesper Service: God of Justice, Love, and Mercy

Steven Guthrie, professor at the Belmont University School of Religion, Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of the recent books: Creator Spirit: The Holy Spirit and the Art of Becoming Human (Baker, 2011) and Resonant Witness: Conversations between Music and Theology (Eerdmans, 2011), co-edited with Jeremy Begbie.

Betsy Steele Halstead, an artist in oils and woodcuts and program coordinator for grants and communications and resource specialist for visual arts at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

  • Workshop A7: Projection Practices

Laura Robinson Harbert, dean of the chapel and spiritual formation and assistant professor of psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary. She teaches in the area of the integration of psychology and theology and is ordained in the Presbyterian church.

  • Seminar B5: Connecting Sunday's Worship to Monday's Work
  • Vesper Service: God of Justice, Love, and Mercy (Preaching)
  • Workshop C7: Worship as Spiritual Formation

Rawn Harbor, one of the preeminent African American Catholic liturgists and musicians in the U.S. today. A gifted pianist and composer, he is a sought-after workshop facilitator, speaker and liturgist.

Zac Hicks, pastor of worship at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He is an avid blogger (zachicks.com) and songwriter and spends his recording energies on reimagining old hymns and writing new ones.

  • Seminar A4: Best Contemporary Worship Music You May Not Know
  • Seminar B3: Worship Leader as Pastoral Musician
  • Workshop A9: The Worship Pastor: Thinking Through the Pastoral Dimensions of Worship Leading

Syd Hielema, team leader for Faith Formation Ministries for the Christian Reformed Church and co-directs a youth ministry infrastructure development project in Canada.

  • Retreat 4: Faith Formation, Worship, and the Building Blocks of Faith

Zebulon M. Highben, conductor, composer, and educator, who serves as director of choral activities at Muskingum University in Ohio. He previously served Lutheran and Presbyterian parishes in Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota, and taught at Luther Seminary, the University of Wisconsin River Falls, and the Lutheran Summer Music Academy.

  • Vesper Service: A Service of Scripture and Song
  • Workshop A10: Singing the Great Fifty Days
  • Workshop B10: Augsburg Fortress Choral Reading Session

Carol Hochhalter, director of the Music and Worship program at Kuyper College, Grand Rapids. Carol studied music at Northwestern College, and studied worship under Robert Webber at Northern Seminary and the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies.

  • Workshop B11: The Gifts of Worship-on-Purpose

Scott Hoezee, director of the Center for Excellence in Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary. His new book is Actuality: Real Life Stories for Sermons that Matter (The Artistry of Preaching Series, Abingdon Press, 2014).

  • Seminar A3: Solid Resources for Lively Preaching
  • Seminar B2: The Sermon: Making It Work (Every Week!)
  • Workshop B12: Preaching and The Troubles of the Day

Hope College Worship Team from Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

  • Isaiah 53: Worship Service
  • Vesper Service: My Soul Finds Rest in God: Psalms of Praise, Lament, and Hope

John Huizinga, pastor at Lombard Christian Reformed Church in Illinois. In 2013 his congregation received a Vital Worship grant which enabled a year-long process of discovering that worship styles have less to do with the types of songs sung and more to do with the way the gospel is presented and experienced that brought together two worship services with different characters into one unified worship experience.

Mary Hulst, chaplain at Calvin College. Previous to this position, Mary served as a parish pastor and professor of preaching. Her MDiv is from Calvin Theological Seminary and her PhD is from the University of Illinois. Her forthcoming book on preaching is A Little Handbook for Preaching: Ten practical ways to a better sermon by Sunday (InterVarsity Press).

  • Isaiah 43, Thursday Morning/Night Worship Service: Preaching
  • Seminar A5: Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling With Incurable Cancer, Cancerous Racism, and Life in Christ
  • Seminar B2: The Sermon: Making It Work (Every Week!)
  • Workshop C8: Preaching to Millennials (offered Friday only)

Monique Ingalls, researcher, network builder, and musician teaching at Baylor University. Published in the fields of ethnomusicology, religious studies, and media studies, she is series editor for Ashgate Press's new Congregational Music Studies book series and co-founder of the biennial "Christian Congregational Music: Local and Global Perspectives" conference.

  • Seminar A4: Best Contemporary Music You May Not Know
  • Seminar B3: Worship Leader as Pastoral Musician
  • Workshop A11: Understanding Your Congregation's Unique Worship Culture

Several alumni of the James Abbington Church Music Academy, program that provides intensive training in African American sacred music for undergraduate/graduate music students who serve in church music leadership capacities.

Meg Jenista, pastor of the Washington D.C. Christian Reformed Church. She is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Th.M. in preaching, also from Calvin Theological Seminary.

  • Seminar B5: Connecting Sunday's Worship to Monday's Work

Todd E. Johnson, the Brehm Chair in Worship, Theology and the Arts and theological director of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology and the Arts, Fuller Theological Seminary. Todd is the lead professor in Fuller’s doctoral program in Christian Worship.

  • Vesper Service: God of Justice, Love, and Mercy
  • Workshop C7: Worship as Spiritual Formation

L. Gregory Jones, Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry at Duke University, and senior strategist for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. From 1997-2010 he was dean of Duke Divinity School.

  • Plenary Session: Improvising New Life: Why Tradition and Innovation Belong Together in Christian Theology and Worship
  • Workshop A12: Conversation on Traditioned Innovation

Peter Jonker, preaching pastor at La Grave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and author of Preaching in Pictures: Using Images for Sermons that Connect (Abingdon Press, 2015).

  • Seminar B2: The Sermon: Making It Work (Every Week!)
  • Workshop A13: Using Images to Preach to the Imagination

Matthew Kaemingk, director of Fuller Theological Seminary's Institute for Theology and Northwest Culture based in Seattle, and editor-in-chief of the online journal Christ & Cascadia. Matthew's research focuses on the deep connections between worship, work, and public life.

Laura Keeley, a regional catalyzer for Faith Formation Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church and director of children’s ministries at 14th Street Chr. Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan. She has a number of publications, including Celebrating The Milestones of Faith (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2009), Psalms for Families (Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, 2013) and The Church Staff Handbook (Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2014).

  • Retreat 4: Faith Formation, Worship, and the Building Blocks of Faith
  • Workshop B14: Faith Formation, Cradle to Grave

Robert J. Keeley, professor of education at Calvin College; director of Distance Learning for Calvin Theological Seminary; and author of several books, including Helping Our Children Grow in Faith: How the Church Can Nurture the Spiritual Development of Kids (Baker, 2008).

  • Retreat 4: Faith Formation, Worship, and the Building Blocks of Faith
  • Workshop B14: Faith Formation, Cradle to Grave

Charles Kim, Korean ministry coordinator and ethnic ministry leader for the Christian Reformed Home Missions. He has been a church planter and lead pastor of Ttokamsa Seoul Church, reaching out to a unique community of people in the district of Gangnam in Seoul, Korea, which is the epicenter of a new culture in Asia. He travels globally to consult and speak on issues related to the next society and leadership.

  • Workshop B15: Just Show Up: Bible Listening Gatherings
  • Workshop C9: 'Glocal' Worship: Experiencing the fullness of Christ (offered Friday only)

David H. Kim, executive director of the Center for Faith & Work based at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City. He oversees all the ministries of the Center and is the pastor of faith and work at Redeemer.

  • Workshop A14: Incorporating Faith and Work into the Worship Service
  • Workshop B16: How the Scattered Church informs the way we think about the Gathered Church

C.J. Kingdom-Grier, associate director of admissions and assistant to the president for racial initiatives, Western Theological Seminary. He is pastor of music and worship at Maple Avenue Ministries in Holland, Michigan.

  • Seminar A5: Rejoicing in Lament: Wrestling With Incurable Cancer, Cancerous Racism, and Life in Christ
  • Vesper Service: Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

Judith Laoyan-Mosomos, acting director of worship and church music at Methodist School of Music in Singapore. She is a member of the editorial team of the newly published Asian hymnal, Let the Asian Church Rejoice.

Jaime Lázaro, a Peruvian journalist who has lived in the United States for almost twenty years. He founded two important pastoral conglomerates in southern California. He has sought unity in the church and worked for immigrant rights. He also serves as a pastor at Iglesia El Centro in Colorado Springs.

  • Seminar B6: Gifts of Hispanic and Latino Protestants in North America
  • Workshop B17: Worship Within U.S. Latino/a Evangelical Communities: A Journalistic Analysis

Swee Hong Lim, Deer Park assistant professor of sacred music at Emmanuel College, Toronto, ON, and the director of the Master of Sacred Music Program. He also serves as the director of research for the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.

  • Seminar B7: Heartsongs for Good Friday and Easter: Insights and Inspiration from Worshiping Communities Across North America and Around the World
  • Workshop A15: Do You Know Where You're Going To? A Glimpse of the Next Generation of Congregational Song

Jeanne Logan, fiber artist based in Grand Rapids. She has numerous commissions in both liturgical spaces and other venues.

  • Seminar B8: Imagining Liturgical Art for Your Worship Space
  • Workshop B18: How to Commission Liturgical Art

Karin Maag, director of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies and professor of history at Calvin College. She is the author, editor, and translator of numerous books and articles in Reformation studies, including Politics, Gender, and Belief: The Long-Term Impact of the Reformation (Droz, 2014), and Lifting Hearts to the Lord: Worship with John Calvin in Sixteenth-Century Geneva (Eerdmans, 2015).

Eric Mathis, assistant professor of church music and worship leadership at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, where he teaches courses in music and worship; he also serves as program director of anima: the Forum for Worship and the Arts.

  • Seminar A1: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Seminar B1: Worship 201: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Workshop B19: From the Inside Out: Guiding Adolescents in Worship Leadership
  • Workshop C10: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship

Sandra McCracken, singer, songwriter, and hymn-writer from Nashville. Over the course of nine studio albums, Sandra has developed a body of work that encompasses hook-driven melodic pop, contemporary re-castings of classic hymns (a founding member of Indelible Grace Music), and children's music. She has focused her musical efforts toward songs for the church while serving as music minister for her local parish community. Her new album is ‘Psalms.’

  • Retreat 3: A New Song. A Skillful Song
  • Vesper Service: My Soul Finds Rest in God: Psalms of Praise, Lament, and Hope
  • Workshop C11: Songs of Praise, Lament, and Hope: A Songwriter's Journey with the Psalms

David McNutt, associate editor at IVP Academic, an imprint of InterVarsity Press; a guest assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College; and an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Maria Monteiro, assistant professor and chair of the Music Department at Baptist University of the Américas (BUA) in San Antonio, Texas, where she teaches courses in music and Christian worship. Maria is also the music director at Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana (First Mexican Baptist Church) in San Antonio.

Richard J. Mouw, professor of faith and public life and president emeritus, Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to joining the Fuller faculty in 1985, he taught in the philosophy department at Calvin College. Mouw has also served as visiting professor at several institutions, including the Free University in Amsterdam. He is the author of numerous books, including When the Kings Come Marching In: Isaiah and the New Jerusalem (Eerdmans).

Barbara J. Newman, a church and school consultant for CLC (Christian Learning Center) Network and program affiliate with Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. She is the author of the recent book Accessible Gospel, Inclusive Worship (CLC Network, 2015). She is a frequent national speaker at educational conferences and churches.

  • Plenary Session: Universal Design for Worship: Shaping Worship for People of All Abilities
  • Workshop A18: A Conversation on Universal Design for Worship

Mark Noll, who is on the history faculty of the University of Notre Dame, is the co-author of Is The Reformation Over?  An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism (Baker, 2005); and Protestantism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford, 2011).

Northwestern College Drama Ministries Ensemble from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.

  • Seminar A9: The Artistry of Scripture for Biblical Storytellers
  • Seminar B9: The Body and Voice of Worship Words
  • Vesper Service: Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?
  • Isaiah 60: Friday/Saturday Morning Worship
  • Workshop B2: When Music Helps Us Hear the Bible
  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., professor of systematic theology and president emeritus, Calvin Theological Seminary, and senior research fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship; he is the author of numerous books, including Reading for Preaching: The Preacher in Conversation with Storytellers, Biographers, Poets, and Journalists (Eerdmans, 2013).

  • Seminar A3: Solid Resources for Lively Preaching
  • Workshop A20: Wording the Sunday Sermon
  • Workshop C12: Bad Worship in the Bible

Denise L. Posie, co-director of the Reformed Leadership Initiative and pastor/congregation consultant in Pastor-Church Relations in the Christian Reformed Church in NA.  She is the author of the new book, Consider a Greater Purpose: Vashti, Esther and the Courageous Women Who Followed.

  • Seminar B4: Worship in Times of Tension
  • Workshop B4: Worship in Times of Tension

Emmett G. Price III, professor of music, Northeastern University, Boston; founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship, Allston; columnist for GIA Quarterly; noted scholar of Christian worship and African American Sacred Music with numerous articles, book chapters, and publications including The Black Church and Hip Hop Culture: Toward Bridging Generational Divide (Scarecrow, 2012).

Wen Reagan, music director at Christ Community Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Wen is a Duke Divinity School graduate and holds a PhD in American Religion from Duke University. He is currently writing a book on the cultural history of contemporary worship music in America. Wen also contributes as a singer/songwriter to Cardiphonia, a national network of songwriters that produce worship music for the joy and benefit of the church.

  • Seminar A4: Best Contemporary Worship Music You May Not Know
  • Seminar B3: Worship Leader as Pastoral Musician
  • Vesper Service: My Soul Finds Rest in God: Psalms of Praise, Lament, and Hope
  • Workshop B3: Writing and Recording Worship Music with Your Music Team

Debra Rienstra, professor of English at Calvin College and author of several books, including So Much More: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality (Jossey-Bass, 2005) and Worship Words: Disciplining Language for Faithful Ministry (Baker Academic, 2009).

  • Workshop B20: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Principles for Renewing Language in Worship

Ron Rienstra, associate professor of preaching and worship arts at Western Theological Seminary, and co-author of Worship Words (Baker Academic, 2009).

  • Workshop B20: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Principles for Renewing Language in Worship

Sue Rozeboom, assistant professor of liturgical theology at Western Theological Seminary. She co-authored Discerning the Spirits: A Guide to Thinking about Christian Worship Today (Eerdmans, 2003).

  • Workshop A21: The Holy Spirit and Sacraments: Calvin's Take

Paul Ryan, associate chaplain for worship, Calvin College, and resource development specialist for mentoring worship leaders at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

  • Isaiah 43: Worship service
  • Seminar A1: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Seminar B1: Worship 201: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship
  • Workshop C10: Worship 101: Principles and Practices for Word, Song, & Discipleship

Charsie Sawyer, professor of music and director of vocal studies and the Calvin Gospel Choir, Calvin College. Her new book is Gospel Vocalises & Warm Ups: Engaging Mind, Body & Spirit.

  • Workshop B21: Gospel Vocalises & Warm Ups: Engaging Mind, Body, and Spirit
  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Greg Scheer, minister of worship at Church of the Servant, Grand Rapids, Michigan; music associate at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship; author of The Art of Worship: A Musician’s Guide to Leading Modern Worship (Baker, 2006).

  • Retreat 3: A New Song. A Skillful Song

Pearl Shangkuan, professor of choral music and conducting at Calvin College, and chorusmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony.

  • Workshop C13: Communion Service Conference Choir Rehearsal
  • Isaiah 65, Saturday Closing Communion Worship Service, choir director

Kathy Smith, associate director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and program manager for the Institute’s grants programs. She is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church, adjunct professor of church polity at Calvin Theological Seminary, and author of Stilling the Storm: Worship and Congregational Leadership in Difficult Times (Alban, 2006).

Reggie Smith, a Christian Reformed Church pastor who recently served as senior pastor of Roosevelt Park Community Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  • Isaiah 53, Thursday Morning/Evening Worship: Preaching
  • Seminar B5: Connecting Sunday's Worship to Monday's Work
  • Workshop A22: Preaching to the Streets: Homiletics for Urban Ministry

Noel A. Snyder, chaplain and director of spiritual life at Alma College. A teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Noel is completing his Ph.D. in preaching and the arts at Fuller Theological Seminary.

  • Workshop B22: No More Footprints: Preaching and Theological Clichés

Deborah Sokolove, director of the Henry Luce III Center for the Arts and Religion at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., where she is also professor of art and worship. She is the author of Sanctifying Art; co-author of Calling on God: Inclusive Christian Prayers for Three Years of Sundays; and an artist with many interests.

  • Workshop A23: Sanctifying Art: Inviting Conversation Between Artists, Theologians, and the Church
  • Workshop C14: Marking Time: Dressing the Church for the Liturgical Year

Olivia Stewart, director for children’s discipleship at Central Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan; minister for family and children’s ministry for the national offices of the Disciples of Christ Church; and ordained in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Enamored with children and dedicated to the communities that nurture and love them, Olivia works to foster a culture of openness, spontaneity, joy, and eagerness for a relationship with God.

  • Workshop C15: Children and Worship

Lyn Ten Brink, Young Life Capernaum coordinator for the midwest division and Young Life coordinator at Calvin College.

  • Workshop A18: Conversation on Universal Design for Worship

Frank A. Thomas, Nettie Sweeney and Hugh Th. Miller Professor of Homiletics and director of the Academy of Preaching and Celebration, Christian Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Adam M. L. Tice, a widely-published writer of hymn texts, a song leader, and Mennonite pastor. Four collections of his hymns and a recording are available from GIA Publications.

  • Retreat 3: A New Song. A Skillful Song
  • Vesper Service: A Service of Scripture and Song
  • Workshop B23: Sing the Peaceful Kingdom

Urban Doxology, a band that writes the soundtrack of reconciliation in the diverse and gentrifying neighborhood of Church Hill, Richmond, Virginia. Their music and liturgy is community development for the soul, creating shared experiences of embodied reconciliation.

  • Isaiah 60: Friday and Saturday morning worship, musicians
  • Workshop C1: Principles of an Urban Doxology

Cecil van Niejenhuis, lead consulting pastor for Pastor-Church Relations of the Christian Reformed Church.

  • Seminar B4: Worship in Times of Tension

Sandra Maria Van Opstal, pastor at Grace and Peace Community, and preacher, trainer, liturgist, and activist who is passionate about creating atmospheres that mobilize for reconciliation and justice. She has directed worship for the Urbana Student Missions Conference, Willow Creek Association, and the Christian Community Development Association, and is author of The Mission of Worship (IVP, 2012) and The Next Worship (IVP, 2015).

  • Seminar A4: Best Contemporary Worship Music You May Not Know
  • Seminar B3: Worship Leader as Pastoral Musician
  • Workshop B24: The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World

Howard Vanderwell, resource development specialist with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and adjunct professor of worship at Calvin Theological Seminary; he is editor and author of The Church of All Ages: Generations Worshiping Together (Alban, 2008).

  • Workshop A24: Liturgy That Cares
  • Workshop C17: Learning to See Your Church through New Cultural Eyes

Larry Visser, minister of music and organist, La Grave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the composer of the new collection Praise God in the Heights: Descants for Use with Lift Up Your Hearts.

  • Retreat 2: Leading Congregations in Song: Techniques and Resources for Organists
  • Workshop A25: "Praise God in the Heights: Descants for Worship"

Lisa Weaver, doctoral candidate at the Catholic University, Washington, D.C., and ordained pastor in the Baptist church. She serves on the Vital Worship Grants board for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

Ed Willmington, director of the Fred Bock Institute of Music, which is a part of the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary. Ed also serves as Fuller's Composer-in-Residence. His ministry experiences include pastoral worship ministry and higher education.

  • Seminar B3: Worship Leader as Pastoral Musician
  • Vesper Service: God of Justice, Love, and Mercy

Cory Willson, Jake and Betsy Tuls Assistant Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry, and director of the Institute for Global Church Planting and Renewal, Calvin Theological Seminary. He is co-founding editor of the journal Evangelical Interfaith Dialogue.

  • Seminar B5: Connecting Sunday's Worship to Monday's Work
  • Workshop C19: Work, Worship, and Mission: Overlooked First Steps of Missional Ministry

Raymond Wise, professor of practice in the African American African Diaspora Studies department; associate director of the African American Arts Institute; and director of the African American Choral Ensemble, Indiana University. He is a singer, pianist, composer, teacher, and frequent guest lecturer and conductor at events around the world. He has penned more than 600 compositions and served as a church musician for more than 30 years.

  • Seminar B7: Heartsongs for Good Friday and Easter: Insights and Inspiration from Worshiping Communities Across North America and Around the World
  • Workshop B25: "21 Spirituals for the 21st Century"
  • Friday night Festival of Scripture and Song: Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

John D. Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and professor of congregational and ministry studies, music, and worship at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, respectively. His recent book is Psalms for All Seasons: A Complete Psalter for Worship, co-edited with Joyce Borger and Martin Tel (Brazos Press and Faith Alive Christian Resources, 2012).

  • Seminar A2: Preparing to Remember the Reformation
  • Seminar B7: Heartsongs for Good Friday and Easter: Insights and Inspiration from Worshiping Communities Across North America and Around the World
  • Workshop B7: How the News Shapes Our Prayers and Preaching: Deepening our Loving Engagement with the World God Loves
  • Workshop C5: Discerning the Body—Shaping Perceptions about Catholic and Protestant Identity

Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology at Yale University, and senior research fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia. He is the author of numerous books, including Hearing the Call: Liturgy, Justice, Church, and World (Eerdmans, 2011).

  • Workshop B26: "Come to God's Table”: A Philosopher's Reflections on Visual Depictions of Hospitality, Justice, Hope, and the Lord's Supper

Anne Zaki, assistant professor of practical theology, Evangelical Theological Seminary, Cairo, Egypt, and program affiliate for the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in the area of Middle East worship resources.

Joyce Ann Zimmerman, director of the Institute for Liturgical Ministry, Dayton, Ohio, and author of the new book Worship with Gladness: Understanding Worship from the Heart (Eerdmans, 2014).