Practical Theology Commons^™

The Congregation In All Her Glory: How The History Of The Association Of Free Lutheran Congregations (Aflc) Can Be Used To Teach Free And Living Church Polity, Stephen Mark Mundfrom

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Among Lutheran denominations in America, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations privileges the free activity of the congregation with a unique church polity. Because of its rarity, the AFLC is especially concerned that a correct understanding of its polity be taught at its schools and passed on effectively to future generations. One way to ensure that this occurs successfully is through a combination of theological and historical instruction. Historical education has been in decline for several hundred years due to developments in Western thought. Nevertheless, significant arguments can be made for the necessity of an historical and narrative understanding of …

A Companion Guide For The Discipleship To Missional Community (D2mc) Program, Jedidiah T. Maschke

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This Doctor of Ministry (DMin.) Major Applied Project (MAP) offers a companion guide for the discipleship training program called D2MC (Discipleship to Missional Community) taught by PLI, a leadership development organization that works primarily with the LCMS. The D2MC program is based on the training pioneered by Mike Breen through 3DM. The companion guide shows how the methods and practices taught by PLI are soundly based in Scripture and confessional Lutheran theology and offers some personal insights and devotional thoughts. The companion guide was distributed and field tested with volunteer participants through and with the approval of PLI. Participants in …

Models Of A Diaconal Church, Michelle Collins

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Diaconal Church: Anglican And Lutheran Perspectives, Gordon A. Jensen

Consensus

No abstract provided.

My Sense Of Call As A Deacon, Gretchen Peterson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

My Ministry As A Deacon, Lisa Chisholm-Smith

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Marks Of A Diaconal Church, Maylanne Maybee

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Diaconate In The Anglican And Lutheran Traditions: An Anglican Perspective, Michael Jackson

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Theological Education In A Diaconal Church, William H. Harrison

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: Exploring The Effectiveness Of A Person-Centered Disability Awareness Seminar In A Congregational Setting, Joshua H. Jones

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

People with disabilities and their families frequently experience barriers toward inclusion and belonging in multiple spheres of life. These barriers are also present in Christian congregations. However, many congregations express a godly desire to love people with disabilities and their families without these obstacles.

The Old and New Testaments provide examples of how God’s people sought to love people with disabilities in their midst creatively and intentionally in response to God’s gracious actions, invitation, and command. Recent research in disability studies routinely highlight the necessity of being attentive to the uniqueness of each person with disabilities and his or her …

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 …

Practical Implications Of Resurrection Theology At Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois And Risen Christ Lutheran Church, Davenport, Iowa, David Jacob

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Jacob, David K. “PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF RESURRECTION THEOLOGY AT ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, ILLINOIS AND RISEN CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH, DAVENPORT, IOWA” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2020. 145 pp.

In some Christian churches there exists a tension between the resurrection of the body and a cultural view of an immaterial heaven as the endpoint of eternal life. This MAP examines this tension and shows the biblical teaching of the resurrection from the dead in a bodily form on this present perfected earth as the endpoint of eternal life for the Christian. A multi-part Bible study was written to …

Deepening Our Welcome- Embracing Relational Hospitality In Our Homes, Rance Settle

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Settle, Rance A. Deepening Our Welcome: Embracing Relational Hospitality in Our Homes. Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2019. 162 pp.

A benchmark for success in the service industry is effective hospitality. The implication is that the service industry business model must create an environment where people feel welcome. This practice fosters a surface level hospitality but would not necessarily foster deep relationships. My goal for my ministry context was not only to give tools to show hospitality but to go deeper and show biblical hospitality – which is not only about making people feel welcome but is …

Mission In The Margins: An Emplaced Missional Ecclesiology For The Brazilian Church In Urban Environments, Samuel Fuhrmann

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Fuhrmann, Samuel Reduss. “Mission in the Margins: An Emplaced Missional Ecclesiology for the Brazilian Church in Urban Environments.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 217 pp.

As the church tries to engage in God’s mission in Brazilian metropolises, it needs to account for the reality of the favelas. Favela is a housing category that refers to an urban built environment where one encounters a rich social, cultural, and spatial diversity, and often the problems of violence and poverty, all of which configure a challenge to the church. How does the church understand this reality? How does urban missional ecclesiology account for …

Giftive Dialogue: An Analysis Of The Use Of The Giftive Metaphor In The Pluralist Context Of The Lutheran University Of Brazil, Maximiliano Silva

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Silva, Maximiliano Wolfgramm. “Giftive Dialogue: An Analysis of the Use of the Giftive Metaphor in the Pluralist Context of the Lutheran University of Brazil.” Ph. D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 189 pp.

Modernity’s secularization project and specific characteristics of Brazilian history have promoted pluralism to the status of a moral demand, especially in the academic context. Such a situation posits challenges and opportunities for ULBRA’s campus pastors. That is so because ULBRA’s chaplains’ pastoral ministry is the most visible and symbolic expression of ULBRA’s confessional identity. Because of the claims made by Christianity, that identity has exclusivist traits. Therefore, it …

Lived Kardecism - A Phenomenological Approach To Understanding Brazilian Spiritism, William Miller

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Miller, William D. “Lived Kardecism: A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding Brazilian Spiritism.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2019. 327 pp.

This dissertation addresses a problem that faces the researcher of Brazilian Spiritism, namely that there is a need for a particular kind of account that takes the lived experience of religion as its foundation; an account of the lived experience of Spiritists who practice Spiritism as a religion in the Brazilian context and find value in it for their spiritual journey. This study answers the question as to how Spiritists articulate what is spiritual, relate to religion, and experience spiritual significance …

Congregational Stewardship Education Following A Capital Campaign, Thomas Heren

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Heren, Thomas L. “Congregational Stewardship Following A Capital Campaign.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2019. 170 pp.

This Major Applied Project will examine the effectiveness of the stewardship education process during a recent capital campaign which was held at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Washington, IL. The capital campaign was held from May 2013 through April 2016. An assessment of the educational process was made through a variety of means. First, data was collected showing the giving habits of the congregation before, during and after the capital campaign was completed. Second, congregation members that were active members …

"Using Luther’S Small Catechism As A Family Devotional" A Study Of Family Prayer At Messiah Lutheran Church Hays, Kansas 2018, Rocco Mallardi

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Mallardi, Rocco J. “Using Luther’s Small Catechism as a Family Devotional.” A study of Family Prayer at Messiah Lutheran Church Hays, Kansas 2018.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2019. 153 pp.

The goal of this study was to seek an answer to the question: how can a church help parents teach the faith in the home? In search of an answer to this question I studied how Martin Luther answered the question. From this study I developed a Small Catechism based curriculum for families to use as they gather for prayer and the study of God’s Word.

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.

Just Play: On Being Fully Human In Sport, Amy Gray Bird

Master of Art Theology Thesis

Bird, Amy, S.G. “Just Play: On Being Fully Human in Sport.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 73 pp.

Is competing in competitive sport worthy of a Christian’s time, energy, and resources? If so, how does one compete in a God-pleasing way? Certainly, several factors are at work here, but to gain a theologically faithful understanding of sport this paper considers two concepts as vital: the Lutheran doctrine of vocation and the concept of leisure as articulated by Catholic moral theologian Josef Pieper. This thesis considers both vocation and leisure and explores how when taken together vocation and leisure clarify the …

Developing A Mentor-Method Of Evangelism At Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rolla, Missouri, Nathan Kuhlman

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Kuhlman, Nathan, A. “Developing a Mentor-Method of Evangelism at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rolla, Missouri.” D.Min. MAP, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 196pp.

Past models of evangelism are not as effective as they once were. To meet a changing, post-Christian culture, a model of evangelism that better speaks in today’s context is necessary. To address this need, this project was born. The purpose of this project was to develop and launch a mentor-method approach to evangelism at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Rolla, Missouri. This was accomplished through the launch of a pilot group of 12 test subjects from Redeemer who worked through a 10-week …

Interpreting Short Term Mission For Long Term Discipleship Creating A Standardized Short Term Mission Experience Training Manual For Hales Corners Lutheran Church, Chrisitan Wood

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Wood, Christian R. “Interpreting Short Term Mission for Long Term Discipleship: Creating a Standardized Short-term Mission Experience Training Manual for Hales Corners Lutheran Church.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 201 pp.

This project seeks to produce a concise and consistent training manual for participants in Short Term Mission Experiences (STMEs). The manual seeks to foster growth toward living life on mission. This project uses interviews with several exemplars along with literary resources to produce a training manual. The training manual was then “tested” as more than fifty individuals participated in seven STMEs through Hales Corners Lutheran …

Body-And-Soul: Embodied Participation Of The Laity In The Divine Service, Aaron Roggow

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Roggow, Aaron, W. “BODY-AND-SOUL: EMBODIED PARTICIPATION OF THE LAITY IN THE DIVINE SERVICE.” Master’s thesis, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 96 pp.

Since God has created us as body-and-soul creatures, it follows that worship of Him is not only spiritual but also physical in essence and in practice. The resurrection of Jesus Christ in the flesh points to the holistic nature of our faith; as such, the physicality of our worship is a fruit of this faith in an incarnate Lord. The benefits of bodily movement and gesture associated with the Word in Christian worship are a vitally important part of worship …

Stimulating Growth In Missional Understanding And Participation, David Benson

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Benson, David M. “Stimulating Growth in Missional Understanding and Participation.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 195 pp.

The purpose of this project was to initially assess the understanding of and attitude toward the mission of the Church among the active membership of Faith Lutheran Church in Springfield, Missouri. Then, through the implementation of a six week, biblically based course of study about the missio Dei and the mission of the Church, a sampling of the membership were given in-depth instruction to increase their missional awareness. This same group was then reassessed to see if there had …

In Search Of Best Devotional Practices In Relation To The Practice Of Preaching, Jason Wagner

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

In Search of Best Devotional Practices in Relation to the Practice of Preaching. Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. pp.

Preachers are tasked with faithfully carrying the Word of God to their people on a weekly basis, yet preachers often struggle to be spiritually fed for their own sake as well as for the sake of their congregations. This project seeks to investigate the connection between personal prayer and devotional reading and proclamation. In seeking best devotional practices among pastors, this study reveals a number of benefits to the man who is tasked with regularly proclaiming the …

Exploring What It Means To Be A Faithful Christian In Twenty-First Century America, Scott Busacker

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Busacker, Scott, M. “Exploring What It Means To Be a Faithful Christian in Twenty-First Century America.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2018. 187 pp.

This Major Applied Project seeks to explore what it means to be a faithful Christian in Twenty-First Century America. It explores the Biblical and Confessional Lutheran understanding of faithfulness. It then surveys the unique history of religion in America, highlighting the importance of both religious zeal and individual liberty. Christianity in America is going through a period of change. It is no longer culturally established. Thus, Christians need to deliberately consider how to …

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 …

Reformation, Conquest, And Circumnavigation: The Global Destiny Of Luther’S Theology, Vitor Westhelle

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Cruising (With) Luther – Indecent Lutheran Theologies From The South, Or What Makes A Lutheran Theology Lutheran, André S. Musskopf

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Cultivating Cultural Competence Among The Leadership Of A Multi-Ethnic Congregation For Zion Lutheran Church, Oneida Wisconsin, Mark Schumm

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Schumm, Mark E., “Cultivating Cultural Competence Among the Leadership of a Multi-Ethnic Congregation for Zion Lutheran Church, Oneida, Wisconsin.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 164 pp.

Zion Lutheran Church is a congregation composed of Native American and Anglo members serving a multi-ethnic community. A group of leaders from Zion took part in a learning community designed to explore Biblical understanding of church, mission, culture, and the history of the community. The Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory was administered at the beginning and conclusion of the project to assess growth in cultural competence.