We, Texas/Louisiana bishops, met last week with some staff members to talk about Tri-Synodical Theological Conference. This event used to gather over 400 rostered leaders. Now, even with the inclusion of non-rostered staff, it averages around 285 participants. As the numbers have gone down, the price point has gone up.

There are also a number of competing events that did not used to exist, such as the Festival of Homiletics and the Rostered Ministers Gathering. We wonder if our Tri-Synodical Theological Conference has come full circle. At the time of the merger in 1988, Texas and Louisiana formed one synod in the ALC and LCA. The gathering of the three synods provided well-acquainted colleagues an opportunity to hang out. Is the need for this still there?

We would like to hear from you. We are going to take a year off from the Theological Conference in 2018 and use this time to prayerfully discern whether to continue this event, discontinue it, or have it once every other year or every three years.