Call for Papers: Chicago 2026
Ecclesiology & Ethnography North American Conference
March 19-21, 2026 | Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
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; 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 the March 19-21, 2026 EENA Conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA
Proposals due by January 1, 2026. Notification of acceptance January 15th, 2026. Keep in mind the organizers seek to accept as many papers as possible to assure a robust conversation at the gathering. We offer a special preference for doctoral students and early career scholars.
Submit a Proposal for Conference
Submission Guidelines
For our fourth annual EENA meeting, we invite proposals at the intersection of theology and qualitative research, and related work connected to this intersection of academic fields. The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago will be the host for 2025. LSTC has partnerships with the University of Chicago Divinity School and the ACTS Consortium of theological schools.
Three tracks are available:
- a traditional academic paper track with a presentation based on a completed project with Q&A,
- a workshop track for projects in progress, with shorter presentation time and open discussion of the projects,
- and a brainstorm track for those wishing to pitch ideas for conversation before launching a research project.
Therefore, in addition to more polished paper proposals, you may submit a proposal on a project in progress, an idea for a project, or methodological and theoretical considerations that do not, as yet, entail an in-process research project. Doctoral students and early career scholars are especially welcome to submit proposals. Modest scholarships are available for those who may need travel assistance.
