Extraordinary Histories
The Queer Intersectionality and the Public Church Symposium, titled Extraordinary Histories, took place April 20–21, 2026 at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. The 2026 annual symposium was a celebration of the powerful stories of the clergy, laypeople, congregations, and allies that came together to form a movement to contest the exclusion of LGBTQIA+ people from ordination in the ELCA.
Throughout those decades, this exclusion was contested by a movement comprising a range of organizations (e.g., LLGM, ECP, Lutherans Concerned, ELM, Reconciling Works), convicted congregations, and committed individuals. In the midst of that movement, one group that stands out are those recorded on the Historic ELM Roster: individuals who were removed from the ranks of Lutheran clergy because they were not allowed to be ordained due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, including eighteen clergy who were ordained through a courageous process called “extraordinary ordination.” This movement did not end in 2009 with the ELCA adoption of the Social Statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, but has continued to expand through the work of clergy, laypeople, and organizations committed to the flourishing of LGBTQIA+ people in the ELCA.
This 2026 Symposium was an opportunity to ground the work of future generations of LGBTQIA+ clergy and laypeople in the depth of past struggle and awareness of what kind of challenges have been and can be overcome.
We encourage you to explore the powerful preaching, interactive panels and plenaries from this conference.
This event was sponsored by the E. Rhodes and Leona Carpenter Foundation, with additional funding provided by the Lyn C. and Stewart W. Herman Jr Fund for Innovation in Theological Education.
If you’d like to support this and other initiatives, you can make a gift at the link below. Your gift to the annual fund supports the broad spectrum of transformative work at LSTC.
2026 Queer Symposium Opening Worship: Erik Christensen, Preacher
Opening Panel: How do you tell the story of a movement?
Panelists: Rev. Anita Hill, Margaret Moreland, Rev. Amalia Vagts, Rev. Phyllis Zillhart
This panel, through the variety of perspectives that panelists brought, formed the foundation for the symposium by focusing on the work and experiences of panelists prior to the Churchwide Assembly of 2009.
Panel Two: Honoring Extraordinary Histories
Panelists: Rev. Julie Boleyn, Rev. Erik Christensen, Rev. Lura Groen, Bishop Jeff Johnson, Rev. Jen Rude
This panel deepened our engagement with the experiences of the call to ministry among panelists. We will heard how their call was shaped and/or changed by the movement, how the 2009 churchwide assembly impacted their call, and how this work has changed how they respond to their call in their current ministry.
Plenary: Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, “The Transformative Power of our Stories”
Panel Three: Intergenerational Conversation
Panelists: Rev. Dr. Robert Goldstein, Rev. Sharon Stalkfleet, Rev. Bergen Eickhoff, and Rev. Kelsey Green
This panel brought together panelists who were significant to early parts of this movement with those who are newly taking on leadership roles in stewarding the work of supporting LGBTQIA+ leaders. The panel focused on how parts of this movement over time can come together rather than stand in opposition to one another, and how this work can best continue into the future.
Panel Four: Church Leaders Reflect on Queering the Church
Panelists: Bishop Brenda Bos, President Shauna Hannan, Bishop Jen Nagel, Bishop Donna Simon, Aubrey Thonvold
This panel included leaders of synods and major ELCA organizations to discuss the future of LGBTQIA+ flourishing in our denomination. Grounded in their understanding of the past and their present work, these leaders shared what they are most concerned about as they consider the future, as well as what possibilities they perceive in the coming years.
Worship: Dr. Marvin Wickware, Preacher and Rev. Donna Simon, Presider
Workshops on Oral History
Prior to the Conference, the Lyn C. and Stewart W. Herman Jr Fund for Innovation in Theological Education funded two Oral History Workshops. These workshops were led by Myra Billund-Phibbs, a social, gender, and legal historian and PhD Candidate in History at the University of Minnesota and were open to the wider LSTC Community.