Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Building A Bridge To Community Creating Belonging By Intentionally Incorporating Christians Into The Life Of The Congregation, Michele Doel

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Doel, Michele, M. “Building a Bridge to Community: Creating Belonging by Intentionally Incorporating Christians into the Life of the Congregation.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2020. 86 pp.

How simple is it for a new member to become incorporated into the life of your church? There is a creational need for all humans to have a sense of belonging to God and to those around them. This human need for relationships and community means that congregations should be experts at involving people and building up their relationships with one another. This thesis builds off the author’s experience as an intern at …

Overcoming Barriers: Helping Navy Chaplains Understand The Need And Implementation Of Self-Care, Carl Muehler

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Muehler, Carl B. “Overcoming Barriers: Helping Navy Chaplains Understand the Need and Implementation of Self-care.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2019. 115 pp.

The Navy Chaplain serves with Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard personnel throughout the world and often in challenging environments including at sea and combat operations. The Navy Chaplain is unique because the chaplain has complete confidentiality and may be the only caregiver with a deployed unit, which can take its toll on the chaplain. Self-care is critical for the chaplain on a personal level and to maintain effectiveness in the support to the personnel …

Theological And Financial Integrity In Church Budgeting: A Study Of The Effects Of Budget Theory Education Using A Two Kinds Of Righteousness Framework, R. Brian Stolarczyk

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Stolarczyk, R., Brian “THEOLOGICAL AND FINANCIAL INTEGRITY IN CHURCH BUDGETING: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF BUDGET THEORY EDUCATION USING A TWO KINDS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS FRAMEWORK.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2019. 182 pp.

The operating budget at Lutheran Church of the Cross, Port Charlotte, FL emphasized the management of God’s gifts but did not adequately emphasize their primary relationship with God during the budgetary process and did not strongly connect the budget with their congregational mission. A three-hour seminar was developed to teach budget theory and the Lutheran doctrine of the two kinds of righteousness in …

Best Practices In Lcms Congregational Mergers Into Multisite Ministries, Brian Hesse

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hesse, Brian J. “Best Practices in LCMS Congregational Mergers into Multisite Ministries.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 171 pp.

In this MAP the process of a church merger is evaluated for the development of Best Practices in LCMS Congregational Mergers into Multisite Ministries. These best practices aredeveloped with special considerations towards LCMS ecclesiology, missiology and Martin Luther’s Distinction of God’s Two Kingdoms. Best practice recommendations are included for LCMS church mergers, especially for those congregations considering multisite ministry.

The Power Of God’S Word: Jeremiah Speaks To Kenya Today, Jared Otieno Magero

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Magero Jared Otieno “The power of God’s Word: Jeremiah speaks to Kenya today.” Master of Arts Thesis. Concordia Seminary, 2018. 106pp.

This thesis searched what moved Jeremiah to keep proclaiming God’s Word when the people opposed it, when by proclaiming God’s Word Jeremiah himself went through a lot of suffering and persecution, and when the people instead heard and delighted in the words of false prophets. My research explored how the theology of the powerful Word of God and the task of its proclaimer speak to my church in Kenya where, even though we are a confessional church, we are …

An Examination Of The Teaching Of Missional Concepts Of Christian Discipleship And Their Potential For Creating An Attitudinal Change At Berea Lutheran Church, Richfield, Minnesota, Kevin Tiaden

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Tiaden, Kevin N. “An Examination of the Teachings of Missional Concepts of Christian Discipleship and their Potential for Creating Attitudinal Change at Berea Lutheran Church, Richfield, Minnesota.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 132 pp.

The purpose of this study is to examine the teaching of missional principles of discipleship at Berea Lutheran Church. I examine the attitudinal changes that take place as a result of this class. The first step in this process is looking at what those missional and Biblical principles are and then creating a method of teaching them in a large group setting …

“Developing An Effective Divorce Recovery Ministry”, Kirk Hille

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hille, Kirk A. “Developing an Effective Divorce Recovery Ministry.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 184 pp.

A divorce recovery ministry was initiated in a church setting using the video-based Divorce Care curriculum. Over the course of thirteen weeks, participant scores on the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale increased an average of 53.6 points, and a final focus group interview elicited positive evaluations from all the participants. The steps taken to initiate the group and the results are discussed in detail, including eight factors cited by participants as contributing to the effectiveness of the ministry. Issues involved in …

Advancing The Cause Of The Gospel Pastoral Blogging By Luther’S Heirs, Robert Stroud

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Stroud, Robert C. “Advancing the Cause of the Gospel: Pastoral Blogging by Luther’s Heirs.” D.Min. diss., Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, [2016]. [353] pp.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether provision of a digital Handbook for Pastoral Blogging would be of value to pastors who had never before blogged. A draft Handbook was provided to thirteen LCMS clergy from across the United States who were serving in parish ministries. They proceeded to begin blogs and maintain them over a period of three months.

Data was collected from the participants at three points. The first was an online survey prior …

Using World Café Methodology For Affective Change, Stephen Rynearson

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Rynearson, Stephen P. “Using World Café Methodology for Affective Change” D.MIN MAP., Concordia Seminary, 2016. pp.142.

The purpose of this MAP is to evaluate the usefulness of using the “World Café” methodology in changing attitudes. In particular, the participants went through a World Café to see if any change was made from the previous apathetic service to the Lord into a joyful service. Also tested was the usefulness of the World Café methodology for congregational decision making.

Among the topics discussed are: what constitutes joyful service in the Scriptures; what other means are often used in making decisions; and how …

The Deaf Can Hear The Word Of God, John Reinke

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of my MAP is to develop a set of rubrics that will be available to everyone working in the area of adapting materials for Deaf people. This set of rubrics will be used to guide the training of people wanting to work in the adaptation process, providing structure and reliability to the process. These rubrics will also bring validity to the adaptation of the religious materials as we will have an objective tool to measure the quality to the adapted materials.

Partners In The Gospel: A Study In Dual And Multi-Parish Ministry, Paul Winningham

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Problem: Since it has not been researched how the members of Grace Lutheran Church of Uniontown (MO) and Zion Lutheran Church of Longtown (MO) understand and value their partnership in the Grace-Zion Joint Lutheran Parish, this project seeks to gain increasing clarity as to the vision Grace and Zion Lutheran Churches have of themselves, and of the partnership they share.

This study employed both questionnaire and focus groups to gather both quantitative and qualitative data in this dual parish or multiple parish about the perception participants have of their own congregation, as well as the partnership they share.

Reaching The Community Through Childcare: A Plan To Use Early Childhood Centers To Assimilate Members Into Resurrection Lutheran Church In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Christopher Ascher

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Ascher, Christopher D. “Reaching the Community Through Childcare: A Plan to use Early Childhood Centers To Assimilate Members into Resurrection Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.” DMin Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, [2014]. [207] pp.

Churches have for some time operated early childhood programs. Often times the stated reason is to reach out to those in their community, and the unstated reason is to bring members and growth into their congregations. This project is a descriptive study that surveyed congregations operating an early childhood center. Follow up interviews were then conducted with church staff whose congregations saw some growth …

Pastor Is As Pastor Does – 2kf Ministry Model, Martin Brauer

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The primary purpose of this project was to introduce to pastors The Pastor Is As Pastor Does 2KF Ministry Model. This model has been implemented in the principle researcher’s congregation over the past six years. This model delineates between 2 Kinds of Functions in the church: pastoral and operational. The operation functions are then delegated to nonclergy paid and volunteer staff. This ministry model has improved the performance of both functions while also diminishing role confusion in and about the pastoral office. The secondary purpose of this project was to assist pastors in adapting this ministry model to their circumstance. …

Christian Navy Chaplains And The Challenge Of Expanding Religious Pluralism, Timothy Oswald

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Oswald, Timothy J. “Christian Navy Chaplains and the Challenge of Expanding Religious Pluralism.” D.Min. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary – St. Louis. 2013. 245 pp.

Navy chaplains are expected to facilitate for the religious needs of those from other faiths. For chaplains who believe in the exclusivity of the Christian religion, this can create theological and even personal tensions about support for religious practices which the chaplain believes to be false.

This project explores those tensions and proposes ways to help exclusivist Navy chaplains navigate them. The final ministry product is a Power Point® brief. It draws from bibliographic research, …

A Discipleship Workshop For Trinity Lutheran Church, Walnut Creek, California, David Moore

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Moore, David R. “A Discipleship Workshop for Trinity Lutheran Church, Walnut Creek, California.” D.Min diss., Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, 2013, 150 pp.

Trinity Lutheran Church was established as a congregation of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) on November 19, 1946 in Walnut Creek, California, and is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay. Over the last thirty years the culture in this area has been changing from a culture that was relatively sympathetic to the church’s values and message to a culture that is indifferent or hostile to the church. The activities that once attracted people …

Engaging Ecclesia: A Model For Training And Leading Circuits To Engage In Mission As Ecclesia, Jeffrey Shearier

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Shearier, Jeffrey E. “Engaging Ecclesia: A Model for Training Circuits to Engage in Mission as Ecclesia.” DMIN MAP., Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, 2012, 110 pp.

This Major Applied Project sought to measure if attitudes and understandings about what the church (ecclesia) is theologically and to apply that definition to the ecclesiology of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. The author recounts his personal quest to match ecclesiology with the mission of the church. He also tells the story of recent attempts to encourage church planting in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod at large and specifically within the Rocky Mountain District (a part of the …

When Vocations Collide_ A Study Of The Process Of Developing A Military Mobilization Agreement, Mark Moreno

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The ministry of reserve military chaplains has an impact on their civilian ministry setting, the church in particular. Questionnaires were administered and interviews conducted with reserve chaplains and congregations that have already experienced a mobilization and had a mobilization agreement. Findings reveal that the process of developing a mobilization agreement is indicative of the healthy relationship between the reserve chaplain and their congregation.

Autonomy Or Multi-Site? A Policy Capturing Study Of Two Models Of Church Planting For The Guidance Of Future Site Planting At Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, Kansas, Michael Bingenheimer

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of this study was to produce a set of reasoned recommendations for future site planting for Ascension Lutheran Church, Wichita, KS. Ascension unintentionally became a multi-site congregation in 2002. This study looks at thirteen Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod congregations. Six congregations planted independent congregations (daughter sites). Six congregations planted multi-site venues (sister sites). One congregation has used both models of church planting. The primary component for information gathering was a survey seeking information from each of these churches on how they decided which model to follow. Understanding the reasoning and assumptions made by these churches, I developed …

Women's Ordination- A Litmus Test For Antinomianism, Joseph Omolo

Master of Art Theology Thesis

When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), to which I belong, established a deaconess college at the beginning of this century to train young women for parish work, it was not clear which kind of education they were going to be offered. Many observers, both from within and without, saw this as a signal that the church was moving towards the ordination of women. When the first crop of deaconesses graduated and were deployed into the parishes, a great confusion reigned among the members, both clergy and ordinary Christians, regarding the role of these new workers. To compound the …

A.F.C. Vilmar: Theology Of Church And Ministry, Martin E. Conkling

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Conkling, Martin E. "A. F. C. Vilmar: Theology of Church and Ministry." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2007. 271 pp.

This historical study explores the theology of A. F. C. Vilmar.The theology of church and ministry championed by Vilmar received critical attention in his own day, and he remains a bright star in the constellation of nineteenth century Lutheran theologians who sought to restore Lutheranism to the strength of its confessional origins and to correct the cultural tendencies of thought gone wrong in revolutionary Europe. Little secondary literature exists on this "Theologian of Fact" in English, and virtually none of his …

Toward A More Helpful Preaching Technique In The Nursing Home, Keith Schweitzer

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This Major Applied Project presents reminiscent preaching as a homiletical method to be used in a nursing home setting. As reminiscing is a common characteristic among the aged, applying it in the preaching ministry and worship activity among nursing home residents can serve the purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in many helpful ways.

This MAP explains and presents examples of how reminiscing from the past in the lives of the residents draws forth vivid memories in their minds. Used as a method in preaching, these memories can also strengthen and deepen the faith of the aged individual who …

A Theology Of Ministerial Practice, Paul Kelm

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Competing agendas and changing culture create a need for churches to consciously determine why they will do what they do the way they do.

This project develops four doctrinal bases for a theology of ministerial practice. It summarizes literature on philosophy of ministry. Research in five Lutheran churches identifies gaps in the way people view ministry. Chapter four provides a comprehensive rationale and definition for a theology of ministerial practice.

One church's experience demonstrates the value of thinking through and developing "guiding principles" that apply a church's theology to its culture in shaping ministerial practice.

Sin, Sickness, And Salvation From Nazareth To Lake Woebegone, David Schoessow

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

Ours is the ministry of bringing the prayers of the saints to God on behalf of the afflicted. Ours is the ministry of bringing to the afflicted God's healing gifts of absolution and Holy Communion. Our culture of death has little respect or appreciation for claims that such 'common medicines' bestow wholeness and life. So be it, we could expect little else. Let us not doubt the efficacy of these divine gifts in the lives of His people.

Theology Of The Divine Call And Intentional Interim Ministry In The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, John Reek

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This study will first survey the development of interim ministry and its purpose and use in congregations. Second, this study will review the Lutheran Confessions regarding the call to the Office of the Holy Ministry and the implications for interim ministry. In order to hone our understanding, Luther's writings will also be examined. Pertinent to understanding what was confessed by the Reformers is what was practiced by the Reformers; therefore, the history of two important pastors and one exemplary situation of the Reformation era will be examined. The author believes these situations to be instructive at least as a parallel …

Suspended Endings In Ancient Literature-A Context For The Evaluation Of The Ending Of Mark's Gospel, David Lewis

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

In response to this second, literary level argumentation, this paper will attempt to provide evidence which will support the view that Mark 16:1-8 can be properly interpreted on the literary level as the ending intended by the author. In addition, in response to the objection that the use of a sudden, unexpected, inconclusive ending (such as 16:8 would be) demonstrates a modern literary device which would be foreign to ancient authors, this paper will consider the endings of other ancient literary works and examine how these endings function in relationship to the narrative as a whole and to the expectations …

"What Is A Christian To Do: A Study Of Christian Service From Pertinent Writings Of Dr. Martin Luther In Light Of Recent Developments In The Church", Daniel Quinn

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

This paper will, from the Lutheran perspective, address the imbalance that occurs when the priesthood of all believers is exalted at the expense of the clergy, specifically when what God has given the laity to do is made to be the same as what God has given the clergy to do, i.e., the tasks of the office of the Ministry. Applying pertinent writings of Luther, this paper will attempt to exalt both the laity and the clergy by emphasizing the distinctiveness of what each has been given by God to do.

Adapting And Field-Testing The Ancient Catechumenate At Hope Ev. Lutheran Church, Saint Louis, Missouri, Dennis Lucero

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of this project is to adapt and field test the catechumenate in a way that is theologically consistent with the Lutheran Confessions and employs excellent teaching methodology and practice. Through my research I intend to do the following: to demonstrate a higher level of understanding of the process of catechetical formation in the early church, to develop a higher level of theological understanding of the basis for the catechumenate process, to appreciate the theological formation of the process of catechesis, to heighten awareness of the impact of theological education in the life of the Christian congregation, to make …

A Model For Transition Of Ministry In Declining Congregations, Charles Snow

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

A model for transition of ministry in declining congregations: There are many congregations in changing communities that are declining in membership, resources, and ministry. I propose that a congregation that places priority on fulfilling the Great Commission, Prayer, Biblical Stewardship and the Means of Grace can stop the decline and transition ministry to an emphasis on discipleship and outreach to the local community. I will present a discussion of the understanding of the "Missio Dei," the role of the pastor, the struggle between ministry versus numerical membership, and the use of community resources. I will give the transitional history of …

The Mission And Ministry To German-Speaking Lutherans In Western Canada 1879 - 1914, Richard Kraemer

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The following dissertation will provide a detailed account of the history of Lutheran ministry among German-speaking people in western Canada from1879 to 1914. Particular attention will be drawn to the relationship between the development of congregations in the region and the views on mission and ministry that were being held by those who were most involved in the work—the pastors themselves and the leaders of the mission boards who supported them. Their work in western Canada did not, however, begin in a vacuum; it was begun within an historical context. Relevant, therefore, to this study will be a brief review …

A Model For Small Group Development And Enrichment At St. Luke's Lutheran Church, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Timothy Wenger

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

A MODEL FOR SMALL GROUP DEVELOPMENT AND ENRICHMENT ATST. LUKE'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSINBY TIMOTHY E. WENGER

The project was begun with the assumption that a greater use of small group ministry could strengthen the congregation as a whole and provide better opportunities for individuals to experience spiritual growth and a deeper sense of fellowship within the church. The approach to this project included research into the theological foundation of small groups and research into the utilization of small groups in society. The observance and appraisal of current small group ministry at St. Luke’s and the enrichment and development …