St. Olaf Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts

St. Olaf Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts The Nourishing Vocation Projects at St. Olaf College are committed to providing resources, support, and information to help you and your congregation thrive.

More information about the 2026 CWTA Conference will be posted here soon. As a college of the church, St. Olaf seeks not only to develop its own students in mind, body, and spirit, but also to support in vital ways the church at large in its mission of bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Conference on Worship, Theology, and the Arts (CWTA) grows out of this larger sense of the colle

ge’s mission, offering spiritual nourishment and professional growth for persons engaged in congregational ministry. Pastors, church musicians, artists and lay leaders from all denominations and any size congregation participate in the CWTA. They experience and apply the concepts introduced at the conference through conference sessions and worship services. The daily worship services refresh and inspire those who are leaders in their home congregations. Using the lectionary for specific Sundays in the upcoming church year, conference planners strive to create an inspiring model to use in participants’ home churches.

Earlier this spring, the Consultation on Common Texts commended a new ecumenical festival for trial use across member ch...
06/12/2026

Earlier this spring, the Consultation on Common Texts commended a new ecumenical festival for trial use across member churches: the Festival of Creation in Christ, to be celebrated annually on September 1 or the Sunday following. To help congregations mark this inaugural celebration, CWTA is delighted to premiere Living Voice of Creation, a new intergenerational liturgy created especially for the Feast of Creation.
This new intergenerational liturgy features seven congregational songs (composed by Carol Meier and Rev. Hans Peterson), a variety of activities for embodied worship, Children's resources written by Rev. Amanda Dahlseng Monroe, and spoken material contributed by Rev. Meta Herrick-Carlson and Rev. Sherri Larson. Living Voice of Creation can be used as a complete liturgy or as a resource from which churches can draw to build their own liturgies, connecting God’s Word and worship with God’s world. The elements of worship invite us to remember and know our belovedness, to reflect on our relationship with God and creation, to call us to stewardship, and to live in hope of God’s restorative work in this world.

To learn more about this liturgy, contact [email protected]
To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To experience this liturgy firsthand and receive free access, register for CWTA at https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

CWTA is excited to welcome Mark Johnson and the Minnesota Boychoir!Mark began his work with the Minnesota Boychoir in 19...
06/05/2026

CWTA is excited to welcome Mark Johnson and the Minnesota Boychoir!

Mark began his work with the Minnesota Boychoir in 1992 as the accompanist and was hired as the Artistic Director in 1993. Mr. Johnson holds a degree in vocal music education from St. Olaf College and he taught general and choral music at Central Junior High in Forest Lake for six years before becoming full-time conductor of the Boychoir. From 1995 to 2007, he was a member of the staff at Albemarle, a summer music camp program of the American Boychoir School in Princeton, New Jersey. Mr. Johnson’s reputation in choral work, especially with children’s groups, has led to many invitations to work as a clinician, accompanist and adjudicator for honors choirs and festivals across the globe.

Under his direction, the Minnesota Boychoir has performed at local, regional and national ACDA, MMEA and Kodály Conventions, at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., the Sydney Opera House, Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and La Sagrada Família in Barcelona. Mark has led the choir on nearly 50 performance tours and released 20 compact discs of a variety of music sung by the Boychoir. Professional memberships include Chorus America, the American Choral Directors Association and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. Mark has also served as the American Choral Directors Association Repertoire and Standards Chair for Boy Choirs at the state and regional levels.

In addition to singing in worship on Tuesday, July 21st, Mark will also be leading a Spotlight Session with the Boychoir that afternoon on the topic of congregational worship.

To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Dinner Church and Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Christie Webb!Pastor Christ...
06/03/2026

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Dinner Church and Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Christie Webb!

Pastor Christie Webb serves The Table Lutheran Church, a church beyond the building ministering to the communities of Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles in Illinois. A community passionate about connecting people to the love of God, The Table reaches out through a variety of sacred experiences in the world, especially dinner church held in a local music venue/bar. After 10 years in ordained ministry, Christie loves the way this call connects her deeply to the community for listening, learning, dreaming and partnership. When she isn’t pastoring, Christie enjoys playing games with her husband and 2 children (Candy Land anyone?), reading, exploring new places and making art as a practice of prayer.

In addition to leading Dinner Church on Tuesday night, she will also be leading a Spotlight Session in the afternoon of Tuesday, July 21st, titled “Imagining and Exploring Dinner Church”: Are you interested in exploring dinner church and how you can do it in your congregation? Then this session is for you.

To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Paul Drees!Pastor Paul Drees is a progressive...
05/29/2026

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Paul Drees!

Pastor Paul Drees is a progressive Lutheran pastor in the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America). He has a B.A. in Social Work from St. Olaf College (‘13), and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary (‘19). He has served as a called and ordained minister in the ELCA for 6 years, and started posting to TikTok in 2021. As of writing, his videos have been viewed 190 million times, and he has over 1 million followers across all platforms. Paul finds great joy in liberation for people and the planet, biking, woodworking, and spending time with his wife, Anna. Omnia donum est.

He will be a panellist for the “Introduction to Wonders of Worship (WOW) Children’s Sermon Series” panel discussion during the Spotlight Session on Tuesday, July 21st. This session will introduce participants to the Wonders of Worship series which features trading cards about each part of the liturgy and fantastic art by Vonda Drees.

To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Kristen Massa!Kristen Massa is an associate p...
05/29/2026

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Kristen Massa!

Kristen Massa is an associate pastor at Central Lutheran Church in Winona, MN. As a second career pastor, Kristen leans into her fourteen years as an art teacher to direct her passions in ministry. She believes that we all are creative beings as we are formed into the image of God, and the first thing God did was create! Kristen is passionate about connecting ministry and the arts, whether that be through leading a meditative watercolor class or planning meaningful creative experiences for VBS. For her, art is a way to connect with God, pray with God and give thanks to God. She lives at home with her two kids, husband, Toby the old grumpy cat, and her two corgis- Juniper and Boulder.

She will be a panellist for the “Introduction to Wonders of Worship (WOW) Children’s Sermon Series” panel discussion during the Spotlight Session on Tuesday, July 21st. This session will introduce participants to the Wonders of Worship series which features trading cards about each part of the liturgy and fantastic art by Vonda Drees.

To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Sean Avery!The Rev. Sean Avery is pastor of J...
05/29/2026

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Sean Avery!

The Rev. Sean Avery is pastor of Joy Lutheran Church in Eagle River, Alaska. He holds a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services from Western Washington University. He has served on the ELCA Fund for Leaders Leadership Table and the ELCA Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. Pastor Sean is passionate about creativity and imagination in worship, music, and liturgy and helping young people grow in faith. Prior to serving in ordained ministry, he served as a church musician for 20 years in congregations and at Wartburg while attending classes. Before entering seminary, he worked in law enforcement for 10 years in western Washington. He is a committed Seattle Mariners baseball fan and enjoys walking, biking, and camping throughout Alaska with his spouse and two dogs.

He will be moderating the “Introduction to Wonders of Worship (WOW) Children’s Sermon Series” panel discussion during the Spotlight Session on Tuesday, July 21st. This session will introduce participants to the Wonders of Worship series which features trading cards about each part of the liturgy and fantastic art by Vonda Drees.

To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Dr. Char Rachuy Cox!Rev. Dr. Charlene Rachuy ...
05/26/2026

CWTA is excited to announce and welcome our Spotlight Session leader, Rev. Dr. Char Rachuy Cox!

Rev. Dr. Charlene Rachuy Cox serves as the Director of Programming, Engagement, and Innovation for Congregational Thriving through the St. Olaf College Lutheran Center. Pr. Char has been described as pastoral and inspiring, thoughtful and empowering, open and welcoming, prophetic and influential. Pr. Char holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, with an emphasis in Spirituality; a Master of Sacred Theology Degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, with an emphasis in Preaching and Worship, a Master of Divinity Degree from Luther Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Augustana University, Sioux Falls. She has served as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for over 30 years, serving in congregational, collegiate, and seminary settings. Her ministry passions include preaching and worship, spiritual formation, vocational discernment, mentoring, and being a voice of “great permission” that encourages people to imagine and embrace what it means to be church today. Pr. Char loves reading – especially memoirs and historical fiction, and enjoys writing poetry and poetic prose, traveling, and all things winter.

Char will be leading a Spotlight Session on Tuesday, July 21st, titled “For Such a Time as This: Nourishing Baptismal Vocation Through the Liturgy and the Proclamation of the Gospel”: This presentation explores how baptismal vocation is formed, nourished, and sustained through the church’s liturgy and the proclamation of the Gospel. Grounded in Lutheran theology, it considers how the storytelling rhythm of “Gathering, Word, Meal, Sending” is a countercultural act that shapes Christian identity and calls people to faithful living in a complex and changing world. Together, we will reflect on how liturgy is not only formative but missional, equipping the baptized to discern God’s call “for such a time as this” and to embody the Gospel in daily life and public witness.

To learn more about CWTA, visit stolaf.edu/cwta
To register, visit https://stolaf.wufoo.com/forms/2026-conference-on-worship-theology-the-arts

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