Pastors’ Conference

Spring Pastors’ Conference
April 13-14, 2026
Younes Conference Center North, Kearney

Date and Location: The conference will be Monday and Tuesday, April 13-14, at the Younes Conference Center North located at 707 W. Talmadge Street in Kearney.

Topic & Presenter: Our topic will be “ The Pastoral Task of Adult Education: Confession, Learning, and Congregational Life .” The presenter for this conference will be Rev. Dr. Peter Jurchen, Assistant Professor of Lutheran Education and Faith Formation at Concordia University, Nebraska. As at our recent c onference s , circuit group s are encouraged to sit together to help facilitate discussion and long-term accountability .

Pre-Conference Workshop: Once again there is an opportunity to sign up for a “pre-conference counseling workshop” on Sunday, April 12. See the flyer for additional information. If you wish to attend the pre-conference workshop, there will be an additional $40.00 registration fee due. There is no guest discount for the pre-conference workshop.

Worship: Divine Service will be late Monday afternoon at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 3315 11th Avenue, Kearney. A thank offering will be taken during worship to provide funds for church planting in the Nebraska District.

Registration Information: Available here are the agendas, registration form, and lodging information. Please return the registration form and full payment by Monday, March 30. The current Handbook of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod states, “All ordained and commissioned ministers on the district rosters are expected to attend meetings of their official conference or present a valid excuse.” Bylaw 4.8.2.(d)

Conference Fee: The conference fee of $135.00 is due with the registration form. This fee includes registration, breaks, one lunch, and speaker costs. Please Note – To help offset conference costs, registration for pastors Emeritus will be $50.00. Emeritus scholarships may be requested. Please direct those requests to either President Snow or his assistant, Kim Hofer.

Spouse & Guest Registration: Complete the spouse/guest registration part of the form if your wife is attending. There will be a $75.00 registration/participation fee for your wife to attend the conference, and she is welcome to attend any of the sessions and eat the meal or break foods. Also, no childcare will be available at this conference and meals for children are not free. Parents must supervise children attending the conference at all times to eliminate disruption of conference sessions.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations and requests for refunds must be made in writing – postmarked, emailed, or faxed – no later than March 30, 2026. Online registrations will be refunded minus the online processing fee, as applicable. Written requests for refunds received after March 30 and before April 13 will be refunded 50% of the registration fee.

Meals: Lunch on Monday will be provided at the conference center. The evening meal on Monday and Tuesday lunch after the conference ends will be on your own. President Snow will host a fellowship time with beverages and light snacks at the Younes Conference Center North beginning at 8:00 p.m. Monday evening.

Lodging: Please make your own lodging arrangements. Participants are responsible for their own lodging expenses, as well as any necessary tax-exempt documentation when reservations are made and upon check-in to their room. We have reserved a block of rooms at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the guaranteed room rate is $142.95 for a standard room. The phone number for the Crowne Plaza is 308-238-7000. Please note that a complimentary breakfast is not included in the price of the room. There are breakfast options available; however, there is an additional charge. We have reserved a block of rooms for the evenings of Sunday, April 12, and Monday, April 13. If you wish to reserve a room in this block, reservations must be made before the cut-off date of March 16 , 2026 , at which time any remaining rooms will be released. When making your reservation, please ask for the Nebraska District LCMS Pastors’ Retreat special rate.