North American Conference March 2026 (update: registration open now; keynote speakers announced)

Update: Registration is open for the Annual EENA Conference this year hosted in Chicago March 19-21, 2026.

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.

Register Now for EENA in March

• External Link for Conference Registration
• Information on Accommodations
• Keynote Speakers
• Call for Papers (closed)

Registration Information

When you click the link above, it will take you to the registration page. We have established a sliding scale for registration costs to make the conference more affordable for doctoral students, early career scholars, or others who do not have resources to support attendance. (If the cost of registration is prohibitive, please email Christian.Scharen@lstc.edu for a special registration link)

Please register before March 1 so that we are able to secure catering. The conference fee includes Thursday dinner, Friday breakfast and lunch, and Saturday breakfast, as well as coffee breaks. 

Conference Registration Form Accommodations

Accommodations

We have secured a discount at the Hyatt Place Chicago just two blocks from the conference. You are of course welcome to check Airbnb or other options for housing.

Hotel: Hyatt Place Chicago South
Group Rate: $149 per night
Stay Dates: Thursday, March 19 – Saturday, March 21, 2026
Booking Deadline: Thursday, February 19, 2026
Group Code: G-LSTM
Book Online: EENA 2026 Hotel Booking Link
Book by Phone: (888) 591-1234

Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and we encourage you to make your reservation as soon as possible to secure the group rate.

Extending Your Stay:
If you wish to stay outside of the contracted group dates, please book your reservation for the group block dates first using the link above. After completing your reservation, email Teja Syers in Hyatt sales at teja.syers@hyatt.com with your confirmation number to request the additional nights. Attempting to book additional dates online outside the stay dates will result in an “Invalid Code” message.

Keynote Speakers

We are pleased to announce the three keynote speakers for EENA.

Previously, we were delighted to announce 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.

In addition, we are delighted to share that Therese Lautua, PhD, College Fellow in Indigenous Religion, Committee on the Study of Religion, Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University will present a keynote. Dr. Lautua’s current research aims to reflect on what an indigenous Pacific and Catholic theology of mental wellbeing might look like given the negative legacy of colonialism and the incorporation of pre-European contact spiritualities into the everyday lives of families.

Lastly, Aana Vigen and Christian Scharen, along with collaborators including Sunder John Boopalan and others TBA will present a panel on their newly released second edition of Ethnography as Christian Theology and Ethics.

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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.