This is not just a Christian leadership conference. This conference exists to encourage Lutheran leadership. Why does that distinction matter? Every called worker in WELS vows to uphold the Lutheran Confessions. Every congregation seeks to remain faithful to those historic statements of faith. But what does it mean to be a confessional Lutheran? Is it simply teaching what the Book of Concord affirms? Or does our identity also shape how we worship, operate our classrooms, engage in evangelism, disciple the saints, or simply communicate? How does our confession inform our practices—and how do those practices bear witness to a distinct gospel identity that sets us apart from other churches in our communities?

This session invites us to rejoice in our identity as confessional, evangelical Lutherans. We can’t be evangelical if we lose the gospel to legalism. And we are poor Lutherans if we reduce the Confessions to a checklist. So, this session invites thoughtful, theological reflection on what it means to be Lutheran in both doctrine and practice. This isn’t a call for uniformity or nostalgia. It’s an opportunity to consider how our confessional identity can be expressed with clarity, integrity, and joy—not for tradition’s sake but for the sake of our gospel witness.