Welcome to the
2026 South Atlantic District Convention
June 9-11, 2026
Innisbrook Golf Resort
36750 US Highway 19 North
Palm Harbor, FL, 34684
Registration / Hotel reservation Deadline:
Friday, May 8th, 2026
Convention Presentation
“Beauty Proclaims: Art in Service to the Gospel”
In an age when an estimated 34 million AI-generated images are created every day using thousands of online tools, visual content has become faster, cheaper, and more disposable than ever. A large majority of images on social media are now generated by AI, flooding our feeds with synthetic visuals that are here today and gone tomorrow. Against that backdrop, Lutheran liturgical artist Jason Jaspersen invites you to recover a different vision of beauty—one that is patient, intentional, and ordered toward proclaiming Christ.
Drawing on 25 years of work creating art deeply rooted in Scriptural imagery, Jaspersen explores how the believers once offered precious materials and even more precious skills as an act of generosity toward God and neighbor, trusting that “God is worth their best.” When such beauty is installed in a shared space, it silently proclaims for as long as it is allowed to remain: children grow up with it, visitors encounter it for the first time, and regular worshipers are rewarded for looking again and again. Because art may speak to unborn generations, the church’s investment in lasting beauty is not extravagance but a profoundly frugal stewardship—we do not bulldoze beauty.
Using recent congregational commissions—designed for not only the sanctuary, but foyers, hallways, and other spaces beyond—Jaspersen will show how well-conceived artworks can invite conversation, foster relationships, and create ongoing opportunities to talk about Jesus throughout the week. Rather than merely decorating our buildings, such art creates “good problems” for the mind and soul: questions, curiosities, and meditations that send people back to the Word and into deeper engagement with the peace of Christ. This session will help pastors and lay leaders think more intentionally about commissioning, placing, and using art that truly puts beauty in the service of the Gospel.
Conference Presenter:
Jason Jaspersen is an associate professor at Bethany Lutheran College in the studio arts department. His creative work spans bronze casting, direct plaster sculpting, oil painting, sumi ink painting, woodblock printing, bookbinding, digital illustration, video production, and sand animation. He has fulfilled over 100 commissioned monumental and architectural sculptures, paintings, murals, illustrations, animations, and hand‑pulled prints for a wide range of clients. He combines extensive studio practice with a focus on experiential and liturgical art education, mentoring students in both artistic craft and creative process.
ART SERVICE
Jason is developing an emerging system of Studio Art apprenticeship in the Bethany classroom and beyond. Inspired by the workshops of Gothic cathedrals and traditional Japanese craft, he hopes to reclaim proven systems of art education for today’s creative Christian. From building bridges between Christian ministries and young artists by facilitating commissioned artworks to collaborating with local artists, fabricators, alumni, and consultants in our campus studios and at satellite locations, the Art Service clients receive one-of-a-kind, hand-made artworks with carefully crafted themes.
Innisbrook Golf Resort
36750 US Highway 19 North
Palm Harbor, FL, 34684
June 9-11, 2026