Practical Theology Commons^™

Proposals For The Development Of Strategies, Including Workshops, To Advance Unity And Harmony Concerning Charismatic Gifts Of The Holy Spirit In The Ethiopian Evangelical Church, Hailu Bulaka

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Bulaka, Hailu Yohannes “A Proposal for the Implementation of Workshops and Other Strategies That Will Advance Unity and Harmony Concerning Charismatic Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 122 pp.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) is the largest Lutheran Church in Africa with 8.35 million members, which proclaims the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church is experiencing what many see as the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit. This sometimes causes conflict and division among members. For our unity and harmony …

Spiritual Leadership Training Model: Using Learning Communities To Disciple Leaders In A Congregational Setting, Kent Pierce

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Pierce, Kent D. “Spiritual Leadership Training Model: Using Learning Communities To Disciple Leaders In A Congregational Setting.” D.Min. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 209 pp.

Over the past few decades a significant shift has taken place in the cultural landscape of the United States and, as a result, in how congregations live out Christ’s mission in their unique local context. This project seeks to address the need for spiritual leadership among the laity of the Church. Specifically, the purpose of the project was to develop a model of spiritual leadership formation that will foster a discipling culture within Campus …

Lcms Identity And Mission In The American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology Through Strategic Lutheran Missiology, Gregory Seltz

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Seltz, Gregory P., “LCMS Identity and Mission in the American Urban Context: Engaging Conian Black Theology through Strategic Lutheran Missiology.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 304 pp.

This dissertation addresses the challenges of the American urban context by dialoging with James Cone’s Black Theology in order to construct an LCMS urban missiology. This LCMS urban missiology is a dynamic, Two-Kingdom, sacramental engagement strategy that addresses the issues endemic to the urban community for the sake of the community and for the sake of the Gospel. The American urban setting is fraught with challenges: identity politics, ethnic-sociological fragmentation, and the delegitimation-politicization …

The Culture Of Life And Life’S Resources: A Study Of The Effects Of Intentional Whole Life Stewardship Education On The Stewardship Culture Of St. John Lutheran Church Of Plymouth, Wisconsin, Nathan Meador

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Meador, Nathan M. “The Culture of Life and Life’s Resources: A Study of the Effects of Intentional Whole Life Stewardship Education on the Stewardship Culture of St. John Lutheran Church of Plymouth, Wisconsin.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 248 pp.

Stewardship is a concept that can bring confusion and consternation for those who teach it and learn it. Pastor Nathan Meador undertook a study of the effect of intentional whole life stewardship education on the adult Bible class at St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Using an initial questionnaire to assess the baseline culture of …

A Congregational & Legal Study In The Practice Of Hospitality At Faith Community Center, Lacey, Washington, Matthew Henry

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Henry, Matthew R. “A Congregational and Legal Study in the Practice of Faith Community Center.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2017. 171 pages.

Churches that practice hospitality by operating community centers must remain faithful in their confession and abide by anti-discrimination laws. This project provides the necessary theological and legal guidance for community center ministry in morally diverse settings. Surveys conducted before and after a congregational presentation at Faith Lutheran Church, Lacey, WA, reveal opinions of both limits and freedoms as to what activities and groups may be permitted or disallowed. As an expression of love for …

“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 …

Recurring Characters As Benefits In Applying God’S Word, Daniel Hahn

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hahn Jr., Daniel A., Recurring Characters as Benefits in Applying God’s Word. D.Min. MAP., Concordia Seminary, 2016. 166pp.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of recurring characters in sermon stories as tools for connecting hearers to Biblical concepts. The report tells the story of a six-week series of sermons which were developed for St. John’s Lutheran Church in Millvale, Pennsylvania. The project aimed to determine if the two contemporary characters, created for this series, would become increasingly beneficial over time as hearers became more familiar with them. The report explains the rationale behind the project and …

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 …

The Household Prayers Of Doctor Martin Luther And Daily Devotion At Zion Lutheran Church In Wausau, Wisconsin, Steven Gjerde

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Gjerde, Steven, K. “The Household Prayers of Doctor Martin Luther and Daily Devotion at Zion Lutheran Church in Wausau, Wisconsin.” Doctor of Ministry, Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2016. 145 pp.

This major applied project explores the use of Martin Luther’s household prayers in Christian devotional practice. Published in the Small Catechism of 1529, the household prayers (morning, evening, and table prayers) have enjoyed varying usage since that time. This study researches whether or not they may serve as a devotional resource for contemporary believers. After addressing the Biblical and theological foundations of home devotion, the literary background of the …

Identity Lost And Found, Adrienne Jones

Consensus

No abstract provided.

A Tale Of Two Seminaries, Shane E. Hein

Consensus

No abstract provided.

Martin Ruccius And The Synod Of Manitoba And Northwest Territories, Michael Diegel

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Beginnings Of Lutheran Theological Seminary Saskatoon, Gordon A. Jensen

Consensus

No abstract provided.

The Theology Of William Hordern: Living By Grace, Gordon A. Jensen

Consensus

No abstract provided.

More Than A Pretty Face: Using Embodied Lutheran Theology To Evaluate Community-Building In Online Social Networks, Joel Oesch

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

Oesch, Joel, C. "More than a Pretty Face: Using Embodied Lutheran Theology to Evaluate Community-building in Online Social Networks." Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2015. 264pp.

The human body holds a special place in Christian theology. Jesus gives of his body in the crucifixion and experiences bodily resurrection on Easter morning. The sacrament of Holy Communion is a common partaking in the actual body and blood of Christ. But what of the human body for the Christian, and of what import does this have for the broader community? The dissertation seeks to build on these facts and make a case for …

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 …

Becoming Lutheran: Exploring The Journey Of American Evangelicals Into Confessional Lutheran Thought, Matthew Richard

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

The purpose of this Major Applied Research Project was to examine the journey of American Evangelicals into Lutheran thought. Otherwise stated, the research project studied the emotional struggles, linguistic confusion, worldview changes, and epistemological shifts that happen during the pilgrimage between two theological traditions.

The research findings are intended to identify valuable insights and provide avenues of comfort for those who are making this transition. Furthermore, the findings of this research are intended to aid Lutheran pastors as they care for and shepherd individuals who are coming into Lutheranism from American Evangelicalism.

The primary components of this study were the …

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, …

Justified By Faith: The Upper Susquehanna Lutheran Synod And The Pennsylvania Natural Gas Fracking Controversy, Lena R. Connor

Pomona Senior Theses

An exercise in applied Christian ecotheology, this thesis focuses on a community of Lutheran church bodies (ELCA) in North Central Pennsylvania as they grappled with natural gas hydraulic fracturing in the summer of 2012. In the paper, I employ a combination of theological, environmental, historical, and ethnographic research methodologies to ground my analysis of how this synod of Lutherans to date has approached the fracking boom. My primary research question is: How might the Upper Susquehanna Synod of the ELCA--as a representative body of 131 Lutheran churches that are steeped in tradition--use its history, community involvement, theology, and church structure …

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 …

The Effect Of Study Bibles On Bible Study, Matthew Hoehner

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Hoehner, Matthew J. "The Effect of Study Bibles on Bible Study." D. Min. MAP, Concordia Seminary—St. Louis, 2012. 170 pp.

The purpose of this project is to gain a clearer understanding of the impact study Bibles have on the application of Scripture. Along with identifying what study Bible resources are being used, this study provides greater insight into how students are using study Bibles. The process of this project begins with a theological study of the nature and function of Scripture in the context of 2 Tim. 3:10-17. The project continues to examine these theological principles of the Scriptures in …

Concordia Journal -Center For Hispanic Studies 25 Years, Dale Meyer, Alberto Garcia, Beatriz Hoppe, Eloy Gonzalez, Mark Kempff, Leopoldo A. Sanchez, Douglas Groll, Gregory Klotz

Artículos obra entre Hispano/Latinos

If the cover didn't give it away, this issue of Concordia Journal is a special theme issue celebrating the 25 years of Concordia Seminary's Center for Hispanic Studies, formerly the Hispanic Institute of Theology. Perhaps nothing more needs to be said than that.

Why? Because the articles speak for themselves, representing, at least metaphorically, the past, present, and future of the Latino experience of Lutheranism and, more broadly, Christianity in the Americas. And the editorial roundtable speaks with urgency about what the Latino contribution to American Lutheranism will mean within a society that will soon have no majorities, but a …

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 …

Aligning Mission Expectations And Practice In A Denominational Context, John Mehl

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

John L. Mehl. "Aligning Mission Expectations and Practice in a Denominational Context.” D.Min. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2012.

In an era when inexpensive travel and communication have flattened the world and made it possible for everyone to be involved in mission in foreign lands, denominations struggle to maintain a unified mission effort. This study included survey work of major stakeholders in the foreign mission effort of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, including partner church leadership from around the world, in an effort to identify points where mission efforts lacked alignment. The results showed that besides agreeing on mission tasks, stakeholders …

Notes For Lectures On Catechlsm, William H. T. Dau, James Melchsner

Notes for Lectures on Catechism by Professor William Dau

A mimeographed copy of Professor Dau's Notes for Lectures on Catechism was among my father's papers – Ernest Melchsner, St. Louis seminary class of 1922. Biblical texts from the New King James -Version have been added to the references.

With the assistance of Rev. Daniel Preus and the resource desk at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN, It has been determined that the catechism referred to in these Notes was the German-English Schwan Catechism from 1912.

Some formatting has been added, i.e. dividing long sections into paragraphs to make It more readable. At times the other than English word phrases …

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 …

An Evangelical Lutheran Presence: A Retreat For Congregational Elders, Mark Steiner

Other Student Publications

The purpose of Even unto Death: The Spiritual Armory of the Evangelical Lutheran Church is to serve as a resource for Lutheran congregations to understand what it means to be Lutheran and why it matters in our spiritual warfare. Similarly, the purpose of this retreat is to assist congregational elders in evaluating the practices and activities of their congregations to determine if they bear faithful witness to the teachings of Scripture. I recommend congregational elders first complete Even to Death before engaging in the retreat.

Teaching Conflict Reconciliaton To Those Who Use Technological Communication - A Ministry For Postmodern People, Jeffrey E. Skopak

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

With a large group of postmoderns at Fountain of Life Lutheran Church I have access to the community I wish to study and assist with biblical communication, conflict, and reconciliation tools. With that in mind, the purpose of this project is to equip postmodern people with biblical communication, conflict, and reconciliation tools so that they may maintain and nurture healthier relationships with other people by better understanding and using biblical communication, conflict, and reconciliation tools. In order to accomplish this task I have developed four critical events that focus on the topics of communication, relationships, conflict, and reconciliation. These critical …