In May 2026, CSNTM will host a gathering of international New Testament scholars in Plano, Texas to advance the field of New Testament textual studies. This will be our third conference. Conferences like this take place in Europe but are not accessible to scholars based in the United States due to the cost of international travel.
To our knowledge, the CSNTM Text & Manuscript Conference is the only academic gathering of its kind in North America.
The benefit to CSNTM is twofold. First, we make valuable connections with attending New Testament scholars, who use their connections with institutions to help us gain access to manuscripts. Second, we gain added status as leading researchers in New Testament studies, which increases our ability to access manuscripts for digitization. For example, the 2022 conference resulted in CSNTM expeditions to INTF in Münster, Germany and to The Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford.
The benefit to American scholars includes the opportunity to interact with international academics they would not otherwise encounter personally; to meet and interact with the authors of the texts they read and teach; to connect with other scholars who specialize in this discipline.
Attendees of the 2022 and 2024 conferences described the experience as “life-changing,” and that the conference represents a significant factor in advancing New Testament scholarship in the United States.
The conference venue must be “neutral ground,” such as a hotel or conference center not directly associated with a church or particular denomination. The venue should have ready access to restaurants within walking distance as well as hotel options at various price levels.
The conference details and registration will appear on a CSNTM micro-site, and advertised via social media and email campaigns.
We expect to host as many as 100 scholars plus CSNTM staff and interns.
Objective One
Welcome at least 75 New Testament scholars from Europe and North America to attend our 2-day academic conference.
Objective Two
Offer a live-stream option and charge attendees for remote attendance.
Objective Three
Publish an academic hardcover book containing a selection of conference papers, written by their respective presenters and edited by CSNTM staff.
CSNTM is seeking to raise $45,000 to fund the conference.
Will you help make the CSNTM Text & Manuscript Conference possible?
