May 27th, 2020

View Dr. Osterholm's Presentation

Dr. Osterholm’s Discussion of Public Worship with Minneapolis Synod Leaders

Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, spent time with Bishop Ann Svennungsen on a Zoom and Facebook Live event on Tuesday, May 5.

A member at Edina Community Lutheran Church, Dr. Osterholm offered a deep understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it means to the "when" and "how" of re-engaging in-person public worship. 

Dr. Osterholm is the author of the 2017 book, Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, in which he not only details the most pressing infectious disease threats of our day but lays out a nine-point strategy on how to address them, with preventing a global flu pandemic at the top of the list. His presentation is sobering. But it offers significant guidance for congregational conversation about the factors that should go into decisions about gathering again as worshipping communities. 

To view the Osterholm presentation, go to the synod's home page and scroll down to the featured resource.