North American Conference March 2026 (Update: First Keynote Announced)

The Ecclesiology and Ethnography Network is a global community of scholars working at the intersections of theology and ethnography. Together with Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in Chicago, Illinois we will be holding our fourth annual North American conference in March 2026. This conference will be intimate and dynamic, fostering creative conversations across diverse specialisms and learning at the intersection of qualitative research, theology, and the world church.

A sibling to the annual conference in Durham UK (which can often be difficult for North American scholars to attend due to its location and timing), we keep the community spirit of that meeting alive by prioritizing the work of doctoral students and early career scholars. This will be an excellent place to workshop one’s project as a post graduate student, early career researcher, or pastor/scholar in ministry in conversation with prominent senior scholars including Pete Ward, Durham University; Natalie Wigg-Stevenson, Emmanuel College; and Christian Scharen, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. Expect a collaborative space of generous learning and supportive critique.

Submit a proposal for EENA 2026

First Keynote Speaker

Our first keynote speaker announcement for EENA is Dr. Omar McRoberts, Associate professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. A scholar working at the intersections of ethnography and religion, Dr. McRoberts is a dynamic and creative ethnographer as shown in his award-winning book Streets of Glory: Church and Community in a Black Urban Neighborhood.

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Conference Organizing Group

Rev Dr Christian Scharen, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; Dr Natalie Wigg-Stevenson, Emmanuel College; Dr Easten Law, Overseas Ministries Study Center at Princeton Theological Seminary; Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed, Union Theological Seminary; Michael MacKenzie, Allison Moore, and Hye Lim Yoon, Emmanuel College.

Hosts

Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and the Ecclesiology and Ethnography Network.