Pastors’ Conference

Fall Pastors’ Conference
October 12-13, 2026
Good Shepherd, Gretna

Following is information for our Fall Pastors’ Conference in Gretna. Feel free to contact Kim Hofer at the District Office (402-643-2961, ext. 1014, or kimh@ndlcms.org) with any questions you might have. Please note our new registration fee increases, based on date registration is received!

Date and Location:

The conference will be Monday and Tuesday, October 12-13, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 11204 S. 204th Street, Gretna, phone 402-332-3345.

Presenter:

Rev. Dr. James W. Voelz is professor emeritus of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. As we look ahead to Lectionary Series B, Dr. Voelz will be expounding on sermon topics for the Gospel of Mark.

Pre-Conference Counseling Workshop:

Once again there is an opportunity to sign up for a “pre-conference workshop” on Sunday, October 11. See the flyer for additional information.

Worship:

The worship service will begin at 4:45 p.m. on Monday afternoon at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Gretna. The offering will be designated for the Joint Seminary Fund in St. Louis.

Registration Information:

Included are the agenda, registration form, and lodging information. Please return the registration form and full payment by Wednesday, September 28. 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 $ 100.00* is due with the registration form. This fee includes registration, breaks, Monday lunch, and speaker costs. Please Note – To help offset food/beverage costs, registration for pastors emeriti will be $35.00. Scholarships for pastors emeriti may be requested. Please direct those requests to Kim Hofer at kimh@ndlcms.org.

*Please Note New Policy – If your registration is postmarked by September 14, the fee is $100.00 per person; between September 15 and September 28, registration will increase to $110.00 per person. Any registrations received after September 28, including walk-in registrations, will be considered late, and the fee will be $135.00 per person.

Online Registration:

• The Nebraska District is again offering online registration through its own electronic payment provider. To register online with a credit card, follow the registration links on this page. Register on our secure online registration and payment site by filling in your personal information, selecting the appropriate conference fees, and filling in your credit card information.
• Only one payment per credit card is allowed each day. If you wish to register more than one person and make only one credit card payment, everyone in the payment group should complete their own individual registration form, skipping the payment section, and clicking “submit” when done. One person should then use the Group Credit Card Payment Form to pay by credit card for the total group amount.
• No registration will be valid until payment is received.
• Questions about online registration may be directed to Kim Hofer at kimh@ndlcms.org.

More Information:

CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations and requests for refunds must be made in writing – postmarked or emailed – no later than September 28, 2026. Online registrations will be refunded minus the online processing fee, as applicable. Written requests for refunds received after September 28 and before October 11 will be refunded 50% of the registration fee.

MEALS: Lunch on Monday will be provided at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. The evening meal on Monday will be on your own. The District Staff will host a fellowship time with beverages and light snacks at Heavy Brewing in Gretna, located at 20333 Patton Street, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Monday evening.

HOTEL/MOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: Please make your own lodging arrangements. Participants are responsible for their own lodging expenses, as well as any necessary tax-exempt documentation upon check-in. Included with this memo you will find a lodging information sheet. We have guaranteed room rates at:

• Comfort Suites West – $119.99 plus tax (2 Queen) / $124.99 plus tax (King) You can call the hotel directly at 402-991-3885 OR use this online registration link.
• Holiday Inn Express – $119.00 plus tax (King or 2 Queen) You can make your reservation by calling 385-488-0408, ext. 212, OR use this online registration link.

We have reserved a block of rooms at these hotels for the evenings of Sunday, October 11, and Monday, October 12. If you wish to reserve a room in one of these blocks, reservations must be made before the cut-off date of September 11 at Comfort Suites West and September 24 at Holiday Inn Express, at which time any remaining rooms will be released. When making your reservation, please ask for the Nebraska District Pastors’ Retreat special rate.

SPOUSE REGISTRATION: Complete the spouse registration part of the form if your wife is attending. There will be a $50.00 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. Parents must supervise children attending the conference at all times to eliminate disruption of conference sessions.