The 75th Annual Conference of the International Council of Community Churches will be held at the
Lake Forest College
555 N. Sheridan Road. Lake Forest, IL
 
 

Tuesday July 22 – Thursday July 24, 2025

“Seeking God’s Vision: Remembering the Past, Dreaming the Future”

 
2025 Annual Conference Planning Committee:  Linda Abington, Bruce Merton, Bob Fread, and more TBD.  The Planning Committee has already started working on the 75th Anniversary Annual Conference.  As information is available, we will post it on our website and on social media.  Mark your calendars NOW!
 

The ICCC Welcomed Back Rev. Dr. Leah Schade as the 2024 Annual Conference Bible Study Leader and Keynote Speaker!

The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky.  An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for more than twenty years, Leah earned both her MDiv and PhD degrees from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary).  She has pastored congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts. 

Dr. Schade is serving as President of the Academy of Homiletics in 2024.  She has been a featured speaker for the Festival of Homiletics, leads workshops and retreats, and keynotes events throughout the country.  She is the director of a Wabash grant exploring the use of deliberative dialogue in congregations and theological education and is part of a research exchange with the Kettering Foundation studying the role of religious organizations in democratic community building.  Dr. Schade is also conducting a longitudinal research study about ministry, preaching, and social issues that has surveyed nearly 3,000 clergy and 1,000 laity since 2017.  She has also written many books.
 
Dr. Schade has been kind enough to send and share PowerPoints and manuscripts from her two sermons.  They are listed below:
 
Live in Harmony; Overcome Evil with Good