Kate André

Reflection on the 2026 International Conference on Theology and Leadership, held at the University of Lucerne, 17-19 June 2026

“Relationality.” Most if not all of the presenters at the 2026 International Conference on Theology and Leadership spoke about the centrality of relationship in the S/spirit of leadership. What made the ICTL experience truly special was the many ways in which relationality was not merely a topic of theoretical discussion and research findings but also an embodied practice throughout the conference. Our hosts from the University of Lucerne and the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit Leuven (ETF) made conference participants from around the world feel genuinely welcomed and valued throughout our time together. Consider, for instance, the hospitality of conference organizer Coni, who fielded questions and helped me make connections and navigate the landscape of Lucerne even before arrival; consider, too, the warm welcome of UNILU’s Patrick Renz and Christian Preidel, as well as the festive and delicious social receptions each evening; and consider, of course, the intimate conference presentations, where innovative research findings at the intersection of theology, spirituality, and leadership were enriched by engaging Q&A sessions that seamlessly included the full diversity of attendees. If “relationality” is a necessary practice within both leadership theory / organizational management and theology / pastoral studies, then the 2026 ICTL showed us how it’s done.

I, for instance, am a PhD student from Boston– new to academia, new to research, and certainly new to international conference presentations. I came to ICTL with an American co-presenter, but I knew nobody else at the conference and had never visited Switzerland before. Regardless, the conference organizers made me feel welcome and valued. Everyone mattered at ICTL, everyone’s insights were encouraged and affirmed– from early-career academics like myself to the most accomplished and established scholars and practitioners in theology and leadership. The spirit of the conference was one of mutual support, humble and curious collegiality, and hope. Every participant had ample time during presentations, breaks, shared meals, and even some place-based learning to connect with each other and dream together what a more Spirit-led and/or collaboratively spirit-full leadership might look like in our various global contexts and in sacred and secular spaces alike. 

Energetically, ICTL felt like an intimate wedding celebration: through our shared love of the union between Spirit/spirit, theology, and leadership, strangers became friends and, God willing, future collaborators. I walk away from ICTL with new insights, potential research questions, and rich avenues for further study, of course. But I also walk away with meaningful professional and personal connections, as well as beautiful memories from Lucerne. 

On the evening of June 18, for instance, after a full day of thought-provoking conference presentations, we all walked over to Peterskapelle, one of Lucerne’s oldest extant church buildings. Preidel led us in a contemplation of the sanctuary space and, drawing our attention to key elements of a recent renovation, asked us to consider how we see things, how we sense that which cannot be seen, and how we practice and receive regard. ETF’s Cees Tulp further elevated the experience as he played piano pieces by Brahms and Saint-Saëns. I could feel myself metabolizing the rich insights of the conference presentations as I sunk more deeply into ICTL’s host city. Afterwards, we all walked along the shore of Lake Lucerne, then raised glasses and shared a beautiful meal, brainstorming dialectically about the future of theology and leadership as the sun set behind Hofkirche St. Leodegar. The seeds planted that evening alone, through ideas exchanged in a setting of joy and gratitude, may bear fruit for years to come. 

I am a pastor and burgeoning scholar, living in a dangerously divisive U.S. I needed the jolt of creative energy, the genuine connections, and the global perspectives that I found at the University of Lucerne this summer. And I believe the world needs more spaces like ICTL – spaces to dream together, to lament and question, wrestle and laugh together, and to simply be together in the shared fullness of our humanity as we consider how both Church and society could yet be transformed through renewed, relational models of leadership. I recommend ICTL whole-heartedly to all.