At the first International Conference on Children’s Spirituality, held in Chichester, England (July, 2000),
several participants from the United States and Canada were sitting around a table, and began dreaming of
having their own conference. While they appreciated the fine scholarship and warm conversation at
Chichester, there was a sense that a distinctively Christian perspective on children and their spirituality
needed a stronger voice. Could such a conference, held on the American side of the ocean and emphasizing
Christian viewpoints, be possible?

If it was not for Kevin Lawson, those dreams might have remained just that. At the North American
Professors of Christian Education conference in Toronto (October, 2000), Kevin met with several who had
attended the Chichester conference. Over donuts and coffee, the group discussed how an alternative
conference could be held, a conference that would hopefully attract Christians from a wide variety of
denominations and faith perspectives, with particular emphasis on American and Canadian participation—
though certainly not excluding those from other areas of the world. By the end of the hour or so meeting,
preliminary plans were made to seek funding in the form of a grant to begin the planning process for a
conference.

Over the next few months, Kevin and others from those conferences began to deal with the logistics of
putting together a conference. His ability to organize and make things happen was impressive. Kevin put
together a grant proposal, and in March, 2001 the Louisville Institute awarded a $20,000 grant for conference planning.
Many of those who had done the initial dreaming at Chichester and in Toronto were asked to be on the
planning team. Nearly all of those contacted agreed to do so. It soon became clear that Concordia in Chicago
was the best location for the conference. Shirley Morgenthaler—one of those who shared the initial dream—
encouraged the university to make a very generous offer to host the conference, which was a crucial aspect
of making the event a reality.

All involved worked very, very hard, planning every aspect of the conference. That first planning team
consisted of (in alphabetical order):

Jerome Berryman, Center for the Theology of Children, Godly Play
Marcia Bunge, Valpariaso University
Ronald Cram, Columbia Theological Seminary
Kevin Lawson, Talbot School of Theology
Scottie May, Wheaton College
Marcia McQuitty, Southwestern Baptist
Shirley Morgenthaler, Concordia University
Beth Posterski, Tyndale College and Seminary
Donald Ratcliff, Biola University
Catherine Stonehouse, Asbury Theological Seminary

Developing a conference from scratch was new to everyone who served on that first planning team, and
some began to wonder whether anyone would attend! Only a few months before the conference date the
team came to the point where there had to be a decision. The expenses, including those that were nonrefundable
commitments, equaled the amount of the initial grant. There were two alternatives: everyone
could walk out now and grant funds would pay off all obligations, or each person on the team could take
personal responsibility for the costs of the conference if it did not break even. That could mean an obligation
of thousands of dollars, if worst came to worst. Without exception, everyone present committed themselves
to the potential financial obligation, although few, if any, could afford to do so!

There needed to be about 150 fully paid registrations to break even, and at that point there were perhaps less
than 30. But after the commitment was made, trusting God to at least bring 120 additional registrations,
things began to turn around. Each week brought a few more registrations, and the break even point was
reached only a couple of months before the conference. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at that point. The
final number of registrations was more than 300, and after all the bills were paid, there was enough left over
to plan a second conference.

Several members of the planning team had to leave after the first conference, primarily due to poor health.
After adding a few new members, the new team began planning the second conference to be held three years
later, again at Concordia University. Members of this second planning team included:

Kevin Lawson, Talbot School of Theology, co-chair
Holly Allen, John Brown University, co-chair
Shelley Campagnola, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
Larry Huiras, Loyola University, St. Isidore Parish
Scottie May, Wheaton College
Marcia McQuitty, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Shirley Morgenthaler, Concordia University, Chicago
Donald Ratcliff, Vanguard University
Catherine Stonehouse, Asbury Theological Seminary
LaVerne Tolbert, Crenshaw Christian Center

As planning began for another conference, the process of developing a book from the first conference
began. This was a team effort, as everyone on the new board played a part by helping edit at least one
chapter. Marcia McQuitty and a friend did much of the copyediting. While it was hoped that everyone’s name
could be on the front cover, the publisher decided to list only the senior editor’s name.

There was an immense amount of work that the team completed for the second conference, which was held
at the same location. In 2006 there were about 330 people at the second conference, a slight increase over
the first conference. Almost immediately after the second conference the planning began for the third
conference, scheduled for June, 2009.

Some additional changes in the planning team occurred, as several people decided to take at least a
temporary break. The third team includes most of the individuals who served for the first and second
conferences, but expanded to include several new members. The names and pictures of the current planning
team can be found at www.childspirituality.org/conference/team.htm. As with the first team, the new group
represents a wide variety of denominations and theological perspectives.

Because the conference was now understood to be an ongoing effort, it was determined by the new planning
team that the conference should become a legal entity. Thus the conference is now in the process of
becoming a non-profit organization.

Planning for a book from the second conference was led by Holly Allen who served as the editor. After a
great deal of work, and several setbacks, that book was released in February, 2008. As with the first book,
the publisher was Cascade Books, a division of Wipf and Stock. The resulting publication represents the
continued maturation of the conference.

The third conference was held in June, 2009. While attendance was down somewhat, probably due to the
economic downturn, participants were enthusiastic and the conference was considered a great success.
Shortly after the close of the last session, the conference planning team met to discuss the conference.
There are sufficient funds to begin planning a fourth conference, although the time and place of that
conference have not yet been decided. While director Kevin Lawson will be continuing on the planning team,
he asked that he be replaced as the director. The planning team unanimously elected La Verne Tolbert to that
position.

After the conference, an interactive web page was created (www.childspirituality.ning.com) where each
session is given a separate section, and where powerpoints, handouts, and many audio recordings of
sessions are included. A short registration form is required to be permitted the use of the page, but there is
no charge.

While the conference, and the yet developing Society for Children’s Spirituality, have been established as a
not for profit corporation in the state of Illinois, steps are being taken towards achieving non-profit status.
Contributions to the society/conference can be made at the main conference web page, although they are not
yet tax deductible.

Progress on a book from the third conference is being made, and release is tentatively scheduled for 2010.
Note: Photographs of the first three conferences can be viewed at www.childspirituality.org

Send any corrections or bad links to webmaster

Web page updated January 6, 2010