Westar’s twice-yearly national meetings feature workshops and lectures for non-specialists, conducted by Westar and other leading figures in the scholarship of religion.
Resources from past meetings:
A typical meeting runs Wednesday through Saturday, with workshops, lectures, interviews with authors, and opportunities to ask questions and engage guest speakers in discussion.
Westar Fellows meet at these national meetings to discuss academic papers, usually on Friday and Saturday. Associate members and other attendees are welcome to read the papers, observe the deliberations, participate in unofficial voting, and engage in lively forum discussions after the sessions.
Past Speakers
Attendee Feedback
I have attended an average of at least one spring or fall meetings for over twenty years. Westar scholarship has totally transformed my own personal theological understandings and has had an incredible impact on my ministry.
The conferences I have attended and the books I have read have given me the impetus to re-evaluate my beliefs and practices and have opened a new way of thinking about the direction of my life.
Westar has been a wonderful support to me as a pastor. I often feel isolated in my community as one of the only progressive clergy in the area. Several years ago I attended a gathering in New York that featured some of Westar's most notable speakers/authors. ... It was a life-changing event.
The camaraderie with folks who are on the same path is inspirational.