Interactive workshops for worship
planners and leaders
with renowned worship practitioners and trainers
Dr. Mark A. Torgerson
Celebrating in a Material World:
Renewing our Places and Spaces for Worship
Saturday,
March 10, 2012
2:00 – 5:00 pm
Western Springs
Sunday, March 11, 2012
2:00 – 5:00 pm
Rogers Park, Chicago
The property and buildings we develop for use by our faith communities are both a blessing and a challenge. The material environments we inherit, build, or use for worship exist for many helpful reasons, but also require on-going attention and maintenance. Our workshop will explore the significance of these material resources and examine ways to accentuate their impact on our communities. Attention will be focused on the land of the community, the design of the building and space for worship, the use of visual art in a worship environment, and the integration of technology into spaces old and new. An overall concern for the pursuit of beauty, potential for spiritual formation, and necessity of wise financial stewardship will permeate our conversations.
Dr. Mark A. Torgerson (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) teaches in the areas of worship, theology, and architecture at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. His work with the material environment and worship spans more than twenty years. Since the late 1980s he has created paintings specifically for corporate, liturgical celebrations. From the early 1990s he has explored the theology and design of built environments. The emergence and potential of contemporary church design is explored in An Architecture of Immanence: Architecture for Worship and Ministry (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007). Responsible faith building is examined in a new project with the Alban Institute: Greening Faith Building: Sustainable Church and Synagogue Design (due to be released in late 2012).