Jake Belder, who is a curate in the Diocese of York and holds a doctorate in practical theology from Durham University, was wondering whether there was anywhere a one-stop-shop list of conferences in theology (as opposed to ministry practice). He couldn’t find one, so he has used social media to create one—and here it is!
I have a particular interest in the Tyndale Study Groups which take place at the end of June this year—more details will be coming soon. But this is the list that Jake has compiled from the responses he got. If you know of other conferences that are happening, please comment and I will update the list. If you know of any sources of funding or grant awarders to enable people to attend, please also add in the comments.
The list either shows our obsession with conferences—or indicates the wealth of theological engagement that is available, depending on your view.
March 14-16 The Institute for Global Church and Mission International Conference
Christianity and Mediation: Implications, Opportunities, Conflicts
Phil.-Theol. Hochschule Sankt Georgen, Frankfurt, Germany
March 17 The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities
Nicholas of Lyra (c. 1270-1349) and the Late Medieval Bible
New College, Oxford, United Kingdom
March 24 Pentecostal Leaders Forum of the Churches Together in England National Theological Conference
Pentecostal and Charismatic Response to the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation
Renewal Charismatic Centre, Solihull, United Kingdom
April 4-7 International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry Biennial Conference
Youth Ministry and Identity in Times of Transformation
University of Malta, Malta
April 4-8 Protestant Forum for Young Theology in Europe
Being Protestant in Europe: Taking responsibility, giving hope, being visible
Centrum Ewangelickie, Wroclaw, Poland
April 9-12 Society for the Study of Theology 2018 Annual Conference
Theology, Culture, and Unbelief
University of Nottingham, United Kingdom
April 10-12 Society for Reformation Studies Annual Conference
Reformation and the Reformed
Westminster College, Cambridge, United Kingdom
April 16-17 Scottish Evangelical Theology Society Annual Conference
Learning with the Global Church
Saint Silas Church, Glasgow, United Kingdom
April 16-17
Deep Exegesis Conference and Seminar
Emmanuel Church, North London, United Kingdom
April 16-17 The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities
Forbidden Ideas: Medieval heresy and the Scholastics
Radcliffe Humanities Seminar Room, Oxford, United Kingdom
April 17-22 European Society for the Study of Science and Theology
Nature and Beyond: Transcendence and Immanence in Science and Religion
Université Catholique de Lyon, Lyon, France
April 18-20 Centre for Catholic Studies 10th Anniversary Celebratory Conference
Catholic Theology in the Public Academy: Searching the Questions, Sounding the Depths
Durham University, United Kingdom
April 18-21 Comenius Conference
Theology in a World of Ideologies: Authorization or Critique?
Theological University, Kampen, The Netherlands
April 19 CODEC Research Centre for Digital Theology April Symposium
Sacrament and Liturgy in Digital Spaces
St John’s College, Durham University, United Kingdom
April 19-20 LST Research Conference 2018
Saved by Faith and Justified by Works: A Pauline Polarity?
London School of Theology, London, United Kingdom
April 21 Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain Day Conference
Liturgy and Beauty
Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church, Luton, United Kingdom
April 23-25
Digitalisation and the Future of Work and Social Relations
Hotel Akademie, Berlin, Germany
May 3
Hearts and Minds Conference
South Wales Baptist College, Cardiff, United Kingdom
May 7-9 Acts 29 Europe Conference
Elect Exiles: Planting and Growing Healthy Churches in a Beautiful and Hostile Culture
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belgrade, Serbia
May 12 Aberdeen School of Divinity Centre for Ministry Studies
Calvin for Pastors
Linklater Rooms, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
May 14-18 Cadbury Lectures
Global religious and secular dynamics and trends
University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
May 24-26 The Reformation Research Consortium Annual Conference
Reformation and Education
University of Warsaw, Poland
May 28-31 Athens Institute for Education and Research
Annual International Symposium on Religion and Theology
Athens, Greece
May 30-June 2 The Mystical Theology Network Annual Conference
Beatrice of Nazareth 1200-1268: Medieval Mysticism in Dialogue with Contemporary Thought
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
June 4-6 The St Andrews Symposium for Biblical and Early Christian Studies
Atonement: Sin, Sacrifice, and Salvation in Jewish and Christian Antiquity
St Mary’s College, St Andrews, United Kingdom
June 11-15 CODEC Research Centre for Digital Theology
MediaLit: Christian Ministry, Communications and the Media, Digital Culture
St John’s College, Durham University, United Kingdom
June 12-14 Catalyst 2018 – Pentecostal Presbyterianism
The Holy Spirit in Reformed Theology and Ecclesiology
The Victoria Hall, London, United Kingdom
June 12-15 Thomas Merton International Symposium
Prophecy and Renewal
The Monastic Institute of Sant’Anselmo, Rome, Italy
June 12-15
Spiritual Theology Conference
School of the Annunciation, Buckfast Abbey, Devon, United Kingdom
June 13-14 The Titus Brandsma Institute for Christian Spirituality and Mysticism
Down Town/Down Soul: Early Modern Mysticism and the Political
Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
June 13-15 Conference of the International Society for Empirical Research in Theology
Shifting Borders in Empirical Theology
University of Helsinki, Finland
June 25-28 The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities
The Latin Sources of the Summa Halensis: Authority and Innovation in Early Franciscan Thought
All Souls College, Oxford, United Kingdom
June 25-29
Tyndale Fellowship Conference 2018
Includes Study Groups in Old Testament, New Testament, Biblical Theology, Biblical Archaeology, Philosophy of Religion, and Christian Doctrine.
Tyndale House, Cambridge, United Kingdom
26 June: Global Connections Thinking Mission Symposium
Transcending Mission: Is “Mission” Past its Sell By Date?
Global Connections office, Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
June 28-30 Yale Edinburgh Meeting on the History of the Missionary Movement and World Christianity
Scripture, Prayer and Worship in the History of Missions and World Christianity
New College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
July 2-5 European Pentecostal Theological Association Conference
Holiness and Ethics in the 21st Century
Continental Theological Seminary, St-Pieters-Leeuw, Brussels, Belgium
July 3-5 The THINK conference
The Future of Complementarity
Kings Church, London, United Kingdom
July 9-11 Pusey House Theological Conference
Totus Christus: Knowing and Loving the Son of Man
Pusey House, Oxford, United Kingdom
July 9-12 Lesslie Newbigin Summer Institute
Jesus and the World’s Faiths
Trinity Hall, Cambridge, United Kingdom
July 10 Oak Hill College, School of Theology
Images of Glory: The Image of God in Ministry and Culture
Oak Hill College, London
July 10-12 British and Irish Association of Practical Theologians Annual Conference
The Practical Theologian and Reflective Practitioner
University of Warwick, United Kingdom
July 18-21
Liberal Theology Today International Conference
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
July 23-27 Corpus Christi Conference
Future and Hope
Hotel Olšanka, Prague, Czech Republic
July 26-30 International Conference of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church
Building Bridges for the Future
Katoliki školski centar Sv. Josip, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
July 30-31
International Conference on Comparative Theology
Zurich, Switzerland
July 30-2 Aug
Spiritual Theology Conference (Second date)
School of the Annunciation, Buckfast Abbey, Devon, United Kingdom
July 30-3 Aug
Society for Biblical Literature International Conference
University of Helsinki, Finland
August 5-7
Job, Intertextually – Synchrony and diachrony across creative debate
University of Tartu, Estonia
August 6-8 Institut für Christliche Philosophie
The Nature of God: Personal and a-personal concepts of the divine
Haus der Begegnung, Innsbruck, Austria
August 24-28 Fellowship of European Evangelical Theologians Biennial Conference
Christian Identity and Mission in a Divided Europe
Hotel Olšanka, Prague, Czech Republic
August 30-31 Reformed Traditions in Secular Europe Biennial Conference
Education, Formation, and the Church
Theological University, Kampen, The Netherlands
August 31-2 Sept Centre of Theology and Philosophy: The 2018 Telos Europe Conference
The Endurance of Empire
Ragusa, Sicily, Italy
September 3-6
Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain Annual Conference
The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, United Kingdom
September 5-7
British Patristics Conference
Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
September 6-8
British New Testament Conference
St Mary’s University, Twickenham, United Kingdom
September 7-9 Society for the Study of Christian Ethics Annual Conference
Living and Dying
St John’s College, Durham University, United Kingdom
September 10-13 European Pentecostal Charismatic Research Association
Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity and Religious Pluralism
Missionsakademie, Hamburg, Germany
September 11-13
The Durham Conference on Ecclesiology and Ethnography
St John’s College, Durham University, United Kingdom
September 20-22
The Prayer Book Society Annual Conference
Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, United Kingdom
September 28-30
International Society for Religion, Literature and Culture Biennial Conference
Uppsala University, Sweden
November 12-14
Launch Church Multiplication Catalyst: Heromaker
The Edge, Wigan, United Kingdom
November 16-18
The International Synod of Dort (1618-19): Contents, Contexts, and Effects, 17th-21st Centuries
Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
November 30-1 Dec Centre for Theology and Public Issues
The Futures of Public Theology Conference
Martin Hall, New College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
January (TBC)
Society of Old Testament Studies
Nottingham, United Kingdom
January 9-12 2019
International Orthodox Theological Association Inaugural Conference
Iasi, Romania
March 13-15
Affinity Biannual Theological Study Conference
Details TBA, United Kingdom
Follow me on Twitter @psephizo. Like my page on Facebook.
Much of my work is done on a freelance basis. If you have valued this post, would you consider donating £1.20 a month to support the production of this blog?
http://www.globalchristianforum.org/bogota.html
I’m doing a keynote at this.
Wow—that’s great! At the moment we are just listing English language conferences in the UK and Europe. Bogota might be quite a way to travel even to hear you!
Brilliant, thanks Ian.
The conference on 3-5 July you can list as: THINK Conference
That is a name some people will be familiar with.
Thank you.
Thanks; have amended
Hello. You might want to add:
http://www.eptaonline.com/2018-conference/
We’ve already got that one, thanks!
Thanks. Is that different from the conference we have listed in July above?
Society for Liturgical Study:
http://www.studyliturgy.org.uk/conference.html
Do you know of a similar list for the United States and Canada?
No…but I know it would be longer!
This is an impressive list and Dr Belder has done a great service in assembling it. That said, it rather begs the question: what is theology and who is it for? These conferences largely appear to have a very narrow bandwidth – aimed at the PHDs and professional academicians with papers being delivered on technical aspects to be written up for articles.
Whilst necessary, I think far more so is a list of conferences which tackle theology for lay-people and non specialists – such as your recently hosted conference. We need more good theology for the troops in the trenches. If there is a dearth of such lower level theology for the likes of me and mine, then that surely is a concern and, if I may say Ian, I think its your destiny to change that 😉
Unfortunately, if the conferences are any indication, the academic world is where the majority of theology is being done. Conferences aimed at non-academic audiences predominantly seem to have a focus on ministry practice. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, and it is helpful in its own way. But yes, it would be great to see more theological conferences aimed at non-academics to encourage and develop our theological thinking. It is my hope that as we continue to build the list, more of that sort of thing will appear.
Great idea!
Women in Missiology consultation 6-7 June at IMC in Birmingham would be a good one to include as well.
https://womeninmissiology.wordpress.com/consultation/
Society for Old Trstament Study, Summer meeting, 16-19th July, St John’s College, Durham.
Thanks. Whats’ the link? Is there a theme?
No public details yet, but there is a link to the page where details will appear when available on this page: https://sots1917.org/
I don’t think there is a theme as such, but under Prof. Walter Moberly’s Presidency this year, the meeting will have a leaning towards Biblical Theology.
2-6 JULY, 2018
CAMBRIDGE SUMMER SCHOOL
Covenant Theological Seminary is again partnering with Christian Heritage (Cambridge), and now also the Chalmers Institute (St. Andrews), to deliver a week-long Summer School focusing on the nature of God and humanity (theology track) and contemporary challenges to Christianity (apologetics track).
https://www.covenantseminary.edu/academics/cambridge/
Great list! You could add Societas Homiletica, August 3-8th, Durham NC, USA. http://www.societas-homiletica.org/upcoming
Thanks–but we are limiting ourselves at the moment to conferences in the UK and Europe.
Will there be updates for 2020?
That’s a good question: probably should be!
I’m looking for a 3-4 day conference in the UK in June or July. I would be coming from Dallas, Texas area USA. My wife and I plan to spend 10+ days exploring the countryside after that. Suggestions?
You might be interested in this: https://academic.tyndalehouse.com/TFC-2020
31 August to 1 September.
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies Conference: The newness of the old
https://www.iocs.cam.ac.uk/call-for-papers-the-newness-of-the-old-iocs-2018-conference/
Just saw this: http://www.oakhill.ac.uk/events/school_of_theology.html
The New Contextual Church Conference is on April 19th at St. John’s College, Durham. With Keynote speaker Michael Moynagh, we are bringing together researchers and practitioners in the area of fresh expressions, pioneering, and new contextual churches to hear the latest stories and thinking.
Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-new-contextual-church-conference-tickets-42467109267
‘For the sake of the future: the Church Robotics and AI’ is a day conference hosted by CARE examining the theological & ethical issues raised by these technologies and addressing the practical implications for jobs, relationships and healthcare. It will be held on Friday 29th June between 10:30 and 16:30 at The Knowledge Centre of the British Library in London. Speakers include John Lennox, Nigel Cameron, John Wyatt, Kathleen Richardson, Patrick Dixon, Nola Leach, Jon Cruddas MP, Matt James and others. Details and tickets available here:
https://www.robotrevolution.org.uk/event
Thanks for this list. The Queen’s Foundation and the Theology, Religion and Popular Culture Network would be glad if you could add ‘God and the Gogglebox’, a day conference at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham. on June 6th. Details at: https://www.religionpopculture.com/conferences/#/god-the-gogglebox/
Whether this is the kind of event Simon Ponsonby was hoping for, I’m not sure, but his question is important. The TRPC Network has sought to be a place where academics and practitioners can meet (many members being both), including people who may have no faith commitment yet recognise the importance of both religion and popular culture/media.
See: https://www.religionpopculture.com/
Many thanks.
Missio Africanus has a conference on Multicultural Britain: Mission and Ministry in Conversation on Saturday 21st April 10-4 at St Paul’s, Stratford.
This is a one-day conference organised by Missio Africanus to discuss the implications of the cultural diversity that we see in Britain for mission and ministry in the 21st Century. The event will bring together pastors, ministers and church members involved in mission to reflect together on how God maybe calling us to engage in mission and ministry in Britain today. Bishop Ric Thorpe and Pastor Celia Apeagyei-Collins will help set the scene. Speakers will share stories of their ministries, and we hope these case studies will encourage other churches in effective cross cultural ministry.
More details via: http://missioafricanus.org/
There is a conference at Worcester College (Oxford) next month – ‘Theological Tropes in Contemporary Culture’, 11-12 May. Details and registration here: https://theologyinculture.wordpress.com/ The conference is free to attend and open to all.
Thank you Tatiana! My son is presenting at this conference in 15 minutes 🙂
I want to attend and participate in any theological conference that deals with the latest global realities. I am from Africa.