A Preacher’s Retreat with Leaders from Working Preacher & Sermon Brainwave – G26080102
Preaching is challenging yet vital work, especially in the tensions brought on by today’s social climate. For over eighteen years, Working Preacher has offered online resources to assist that work. The scholars and preachers behind Working Preacher are committed to helping others enter into deeper conversations with the word of God and explore the craft of preaching. In August 2026, some of the leaders of Working Preacher and its long-running podcast Sermon Brainwave will lead a conference hosted by Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. Through a program of presentations, panel discussions, workshops, small-group gatherings, worship services, and free time for relaxation and recreation, preachers will explore and refine their own preaching practices.
This sessions is an in-depth residential preaching workshop in a place of incomparable and inspiring beauty, led by two current cohosts of Working Preacher’s Sermon Brainwave podcast, Karoline Lewis and Matt Skinner, plus one of Working Preacher’s contributors and strategic leaders, Cody Sanders.
Instructors
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Matt Skinner
Matt Skinner is the Asher O. and Carrie Nasby Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul and the Scholar for Adult Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), several of the books he has written lead preachers and laypeople into the theological riches of biblical writings, including Acts: Catching Up with the Spirit and the forthcoming Matthew: The Gospel of Promised Blessings.
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Cody Sanders
Cody Sanders is associate professor of congregational and community care leadership at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, MN, where he also serves on the Working Preacher leadership team. Prior to Luther, he was pastor of Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, MA, and a chaplain at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He’s the author of several books, including, Spiritual Care First Aid: An All-Hands Approach for Church and Community (Fortress, 2025). Cody is an ordained Baptist minister affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists and American Baptist Churches USA.
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Karoline Lewis
Karoline Lewis is ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, is the Marbury E. Anderson Chair in Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary and the Program Director for the Festival of Homiletics. Lewis leads conferences, workshops, and retreats internationally and has authored numerous books on preaching, leadership, women in ministry, and the Gospel of John. You can learn more about Lewis and connect with her at karolinelewis.com