This past May, Rev. Roger Mullet, pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (Buffalo, WY) and adjunct lecturer in theology at Luther Classical College, served as the keynote speaker at a Lutheran Theological Conference held at Echigo Yuzawa in the Niigata Prefecture of Japan. The three-day gathering brought together Lutheran pastors and laity from both LCMS- and WELS-affiliated congregations in a free-conference-style event, seeking to establish areas of theological agreement, learn from Lutheran scholars, and encourage ongoing conversation.  

At the recommendation of Rev. John Hill, President of the Wyoming District of the LCMS and Regent of LCC, and Rev. Charles Ferry, former Asia Regional Director for LCMS International Mission, Rev. Mullet was invited to give a series of five lectures titled “The Necessary Distinction Between Law and Gospel.” Mullet’s presentations were given at the third of four theological conferences coordinated by LCMS International Mission. Rev. Hill spoke at the first conference in May 2024 and Rev. Kenneth Mars, pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cody, WY, spoke at the second in November 2024. Rev. Mullet was the speaker for May 2025, and plans are in place for Rev. Hill to return for the conclusion to the series in October. Rev. Ferry said the conferences are “having a measurable impact upon the faithful proclamation of the Word in Japan, and upon the gathering of those folks who desire to be distinctly and faithfully Lutheran in theology. God be praised.” 

“These conference gatherings involve an emerging coalition of groups and individuals apart from formal altar and pulpit fellowship,” said Rev. Dr. Daniel Jastram, LCMS missionary to Japan. The “Free Conference” pattern does not involve shared worship services, so all attendees, regardless of church body, can participate without any unionistic concerns. “One of the causes for the break in altar and pulpit fellowship with our former LCMS partner church body was the lack of substantive theological texts available in the Japanese language regarding distinctively Lutheran sound doctrine and practice,” Jastram continued. “We are trying to correct that by ensuring careful translations of essential theological texts…[and] the conference presentations will become part of our library of confessional theological texts available in the Japanese language for future generations of orthodox Japanese Lutherans.” Rev. Mullet lectured to about half of the conference participants in English while Rev. Haga, a Lutheran pastor in Mito, Japan, presented a Japanese translation of Mullet’s material to the other participants. All the participants joined together for live, translated Q & A at the end of each session. “Rev. Mullet found an approach and level of teaching that fit the occasion most suitably,” said Rev. Dr. Jastram. “All the conference attendees will benefit from his material.” 

Reflecting on the experience, Mullet said “I was humbled and honored by the invitation to speak on such an important topic in Lutheran theology, and in such an important setting as the confessional Lutheran churches in Japan try to make their way forward in a difficult context.” Rev. Mullet’s wife, Megan, who serves as LCC Registrar, was also able to attend the conference. “We were excited to join the work of the church in Japan,” she said, “and it was encouraging to see the very same confessional Lutheran theology playing out in a different cultural setting. That small, scattered group of confessional Lutherans coming together in such adverse circumstances in Japan helps us appreciate even more deeply the strong community of like-minded Lutheran Christians we have at LCC and in Wyoming.”  

As an adjunct faculty member at LCC, Rev. Mullet will soon be teaching Law and Gospel, among many other theological topics, to our incoming students. “Law and Gospel are not merely two terms to discover in the Scriptures or in the Book of Concord,” Mullet said in one presentation, “but are two teachings of God Himself, both founded in God’s Word.” In addition to “Commonplaces and Catechisms,” a short introductory course on Lutheran theology and terminology, Mullet will also teach the Old Testament and New Testament survey courses to all incoming LCC students. “It is a joy and a privilege to serve as a pastor in Christ’s Church, bringing God’s Word and Lutheran doctrine, the Scriptures and the Confessions together in the lives of the people I serve,” says Mullet. “And now by God’s grace I have the incredible opportunity to do the same with our students at LCC.”