Senior Theses: Recent submissions
Now showing items 121-140 of 356
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Encouraging Called Workers to Remain Faithful in Evangelism
(2020)Evangelism is an important part of the church's work. Through evangelism, Christians bring the gospel to the world. This is especially true of called workers. Part of their duties is to do evangelism and train others ... -
A "Lay Seminary" Develops, Grows, and Endures: A Century of WELS Campus Ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
(2020)September 26, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of WELS campus ministry in the United States. Over this century, WELS campus ministry has developed into a substantial ministry that serves collegiates at numerous public ... -
True Man: Jesus as Model for Christian Masculinity
(2020)What does a real man look like? What does a real man do? These are questions that many modern men are struggling to answer. The world is ready to provide an endless array of proposed answers, but how the Bible talks ... -
Inter-Congregational Cooperation: Expanding Parishioners' Views of Ministry
(2020)In the strictest sense of the word, there is only one true Christian Church which includes every single person who has been bought by the blood of Christ. In common usage, however, there are countless churches, each ... -
The Church as the Body of Christ: System Theory and the Church
(2020)This paper presents a brief overview of system theory and showcases the possible strengths and weaknesses of system theory applied to the church. It sets forth system theory as a viable option regarding church ... -
WELS Ministry to the Homeless
(2020)When traveling through large cities in the United States, it is not hard to find a group of homeless people congregated together. A question that can arise in a pastor’s mind might be: “Is it possible to have a ministry ... -
A Study of WELS Students and Campus Ministry
(2020)Why don’t WELS college students join WELS campus ministries? This question is one that many people may be asking. Instead of joining our campus ministries many of them end up joining non-WELS heterodox Christian groups. ... -
Communicating Fellowship: An Evaluation
(2020)Church fellowship is a doctrine that is significant to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutherans Synod (WELS). It is significant because all doctrine is important; however, church fellowship can also be difficult to communicate. ... -
From Spener to Stanley: Exploring Pietistic Themes in Modern American Evangelicalism
(2020)The Pietist movement that took place among German Lutherans in the 17th century was predicated on a turning inward. Pietists saw moral improvement as the goal of Christianity, and focused on Christ in us rather than ... -
Cultural Immersion and Stress Points: How the Ministry of Mark Cares Typified a Shift in WELS Evangelism Philosophy
(2020)Cross-cultural evangelism opportunities present the Christian with unique challenges for carrying out the Great Commission. Various historical factors left the WELS employing a largely monocultural approach to evangelism ... -
Communicating the Importance of Doctrine in a Heterodox Ecumenical Context
(2020)In a country with a growing population of heterodox ecumenical Christians, a confessional Lutheran might struggle to communicate the importance of doctrine with a person who sees little to no need for it. This thesis ... -
Purpose-Filled Friendship: Exploring the Gospel's Effect on Friendship Itself and What it Truly Means to be a Friend
(2020)God said in the garden of Eden that is not good for man to be alone. He gave us the gift of human relationships so that we could encourage each other, guide each other, and show love to each other. This thesis seeks ... -
Occultic Movies and Videos: Affects on Confirmation Students
(2020)Movies portraying the occult are too numerous to count. Television shows and videos also fantasize about the supernatural world. The number of confirmation age children encountering such movies and videos has only ... -
God's Word is our Great Heritage: Defining WELS Pastoral Recruitment Philosophy for Continued Excellence in Raising Up Future Public Ministers
(2019)Our Lord has been calling and equipping his people to know, love, and serve him since the beginning of time. For he also called and sent specific individuals to guard and watch over his people so that they would see his ... -
The Narrow Lutheran Middle: The Problem of Being a Clinically-Depressed Christian
(2019)Clinical depression can bring about a great deal of problems in a person’s life. These include a depressed mood, negative self-image, harmful self-talk, a flawed perception of the truth, feelings of anger, sadness, ... -
The Proper Distinction Between Antilegomena and Homologoumena: Its History and Application
(2019)Orthodox Lutherans have varied in how they treat the antilegomena. Martin Chemnitz believed the antilegomena should not be used to establish doctrine. This was the practice in the Wisconsin Synod until not too long ago. ... -
The Heart of Planning: Avoiding the Ditch of Godless Pragmatism and the Ditch of Lethargic Ministry
(2019)Pastors understand the importance of planning for ministry, but do pastors always pay attention to where their heart is when they plan? Pastors can easily plan as if everything depended on themselves and as a result ... -
Intentional Pre-Membership Assimilation in Mid-Sized Congregations in the Midst of a Declining Church
(2019)You have pounded the streets. You have practiced good friendship evangelism. Your hard work is beginning to bear fruit. The people you invited to come to worship at your congregation are there! Now what? How can a congregation ... -
The Pastor and His Wife: Fortifying Marriage Against the Demands of Ministry
(2019)This thesis aims to contribute to practical theology. Marriage and the public ministry are two gifts of God that are uniquely intertwined as a pastor serves his church and his family. God intends both of these to be blessings ... -
Applying Christ-Like and Other Leadership Qualities to Millennial Lay Leadership
(2019)The use of excellent lay leadership is vital to a healthy church, but what does excellent lay leadership look like? It can certainly be modeled from Christ and from other important leadership qualities. Which demographic ...