What happens in seminary classrooms today often shows up in your pews tomorrow. To faithfully shepherd your church in the years to come, you must know where theology is heading. Few gatherings handle this better than the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS).
Many pastors haven’t heard of this gathering. Or if they have, they probably assume it’s a gathering for academics—not shepherds. But what if that assumption is costing you something? What if ETS actually is a hidden gem that could sharpen your theology, broaden your perspective, and renew your pastoral calling?
The ETS annual meeting may not have the flash or fanfare of mainstream ministry conferences, but its value for thoughtful, future-minded pastors is hard to overstate. It’s affordable, consistent, theologically rich, and—perhaps most importantly—unapologetically serious about doctrine. If you’re willing to look past the jargon and the name tags, you might find something that deepens your convictions and equips you for more faithful ministry to your church and community.
The Evangelical Theological Society describes itself as a “group of scholars, teachers, pastors, students, and others dedicated to the oral exchange and written expression of theological thought and research.” Its annual meeting, typically held in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and hosted in various cities around the country, gathers thousands of evangelicals committed to serious theological inquiry. It’s a place where research interests are presented and discussed and theological ideas are developed and refined.
While ETS is primarily geared toward those with academic interests in mind, I believe more pastors would benefit from attending. I understand why some might scoff at the idea that a local church pastor might spend their time and resources on what seems like an ivory tower gathering. But I am becoming increasingly convinced that if a pastor had a small stipend for personal development or continued training, this could be one of the wisest ways to invest those funds—especially when considering the cost-to-benefit ratio compared to other options on the pastoral conference circuit.
Though this list is far from exhaustive, I have five potential benefits in mind for why a pastor or pastoral staff should consider attending the ETS annual meeting.
1. The ever-fluctuating conference circuit
It is hardly news that the conference landscape has shifted over the past decade. Major conferences like Together for the Gospel have shut down. Various evangelical circles continue to fragment. Conferences pastors once frequenteed are either changing or disappearing altogether.
Smaller, localized gatherings for niche audiences are popping up more frequently (which I find to be a rather good idea for localized partnerships to develop). And of course, a few major national conferences remain worth attending (I recommend TGC National, Sing!, CrossCon, etc.).
Despite these changes in the conference circuit, the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society has remained remarkably consistent. It’s now in its 76th year and seems to have some staying power with no signs of slowing down. In a world of ever-shifting options, ETS may offer pastors and church leaders a reliable choice for ongoing theological development and team building that could prove to be a staple in their calendars.
2. The return on investment
One of the most compelling arguments for why pastors should consider attending the ETS Annual Meeting is simply the return on investment. It is not uncommon for national conference tickets to be in the $250+ range. For some pastors and churches, a single ticket may be the entirety of their development budget.
ETS, by contrast, is far more accessible: Even for non-members (the most expensive option), registration is only $150. The return on the investment is different from what you might expect from your normal conference experience, but it is significant.
Each year, leading evangelical theologians give plenary addresses and participate on panels alongside younger and up-and-coming evangelical thinkers presenting new research.
If one were to look for a lineup of speakers to rival those who speak at ETS, the cost would be significantly higher. ETS offers this access at a fraction of the cost.
3. Getting a head start on theological conversations
While not everything you hear at ETS will feel directly “relevant” for your local ministry, one thing you will likely hear is what’s coming down the theological pipeline. There’s a rather consistent pattern: What shows up in the academy tends to make its way to the pews. Consider the open theism discussion of yesteryears or the Trinity debates in 2016. These weren’t abstract academic conversations; they eventually became hot topics in churches and on social media.
Because professional theologians are typically the ones to train future pastors in seminary, it is not surprising to see that the passions of professors often become the passions of pastors. Therefore, it can be good and wise for a pastor to keep a pulse on current academic conversations.
With hundreds of presentations and panels each year, you will likely find a few different theological conversations worth engaging.
4. The bookstore
A rather practical reason pastors should consider attending ETS is the bookstore. Major evangelical academic publishers such as Zondervan, IVP, Baker, Crossway, B&H, Kregel, Reformation Heritage, P&R, and many more show up each year with their inventory deeply discounted. It is one of the few spaces each year where you can physically hold available books and give them a look through. Most books at the ETS bookstore range from 25 to 50 percent off, which is difficult to beat. If you’re a book lover or stocking your church’s resource shelves, the savings alone may justify the trip.
5. Keeping the academy and church together
This argument may reveal my own desires a bit. I am passionate about keeping the life of the academy and the life of the church together. And I believe it is not just pastors who will benefit from attending the convention, but also the convention will benefit from having pastors in attendance.
While I do not want all academic conversations to feel the need to always get into “practical” matters, we need spaces for deep intellectual work without always rushing to application and ministerial concerns. But we need academic theology that remembers its home. The local church is the proper soil for Christian theology, and if theology ever becomes divorced from the church—both universal and local—it withers.
If it became a norm for both academics and pastors to be in attendance at theological presentations, academics might feel more freedom to reflect on why varying theological ideas bear significance in the local church.
To be clear, I do not want to see the annual gathering of the Evangelical Theological Society to become a mere conference for pastors. There are already very few spaces left for intellectual conversations to play out, and I do not desire to lose one. For some of the conversations that take place at ETS, the presence of pastors encourages presenters to press into ways a theological idea might God’s people. This would not be a distraction from the intellectual development of theological ideas but the completion of them.
What pastors should know when attending ETS
If you’re considering attending the ETS Annual Meeting, it helps to know a few things beforehand. Consider the following practical tips to make the most of your time:
Plan ahead for the schedule. There will be hundreds of presentations, plenary sessions, and panels all packed into a three-day span. You will not be able to attend everything. Choosing one session is a decision to miss two or three others, soI have found it to be a helpful exercise to get away for a few hours to plan my priorities.
Just as a personal example, here are a few things I try to prioritize when planning my ETS schedule:
First, connect with friends and colleagues you might not otherwise see. Given that many of my academic relationships only come together face-to-face once a year at ETS, this is rather important for me. These are not just theologians working in research; these are friends I deeply appreciate.
Second, explore topics of interest. Sometimes I will attend presentations or sessions on a topic I have been considering, even if I’m unfamiliar with the presenter. This has often come with the double benefit of discovering new theologians worth following.
Third, seek out individuals of interest. Other times, I’ll attend a presentation not because of the topic, but because of the person presenting. Fred Sanders, for example, always sharpens my mind and inflames my affection for the Lord. Even if he is presenting on something I may not be interested in, I still make attending his session a priority.
Fourth, do not overfill your schedule. With so many presentations and panels available, it is easy to jam-pack your schedule to the point of exhaustion. While you should try to take advantage of the event, you should do so while still enjoying the gathering. So a word of advice—save plenty of time to slowly browse and peruse the bookstore, try good restaurants in the city, find good coffee, and visit places of interest. Your mind will likely be more apt to keep up with some high-level thinking if your body and mind aren’t totally exhausted from the meeting.
Finally, let theological inquiry lead you to worship. ETS is full of ideas—doctrines, passages, debates, and historical insights. It is easy to simply sit and consume presentations without taking the time to digest. Give yourself space to process. Begin each day in prayer. Take thoughtful notes. And at the day’s end, revisit what you’ve heard. Think about how these truths might shape your own soul and the souls of those God has entrusted to you.
Ronni Kurtz is assistant professor of systematic theology at Midwestern Seminary and author of several books, including Proclaiming the Triune God and Light Unapproachable.
