Senior Theses: Recent submissions
Now showing items 61-80 of 356
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Mission Fields in our Midst: A Model for Effective International Student Programs at High Schools of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) has a unique opportunity to proclaim the gospel to teens from around the world who enroll in its various high schools. In the effort to serve these students faithfully, ... -
Biblical Performance Criticism: An Exegetical Tool to Analyze Communication Events in the New Testament
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Since the beginning of the world, people have communicated orally through speech. As time progressed, communication technology advanced and began to aid oral communication to make it more accessible and permanent. The ... -
Communicating Christ Visually: Utilizing Graphic Design in Ministry
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Graphic Design is both an art form and a means of communication. It is a tool that both pastors and laypeople can utilize in the fields of worship, education, and evangelism. How can we communicate our message to members ... -
Player or Played: How Does the Counseling Pastor Help Someone Suffering from Video Game Addication?
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Video games have exploded in popularity in the past decade or so. With the rise of video game prominence on the global scale comes an emergent concern of video game related disorders like addiction. Addiction can be a ... -
The Lutheran Art of Dying: Caring for the Scared with the Certainty of Christ
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)The fear of death is common for all people. Every person will face death at the end of their life. As their church members confront their fears of dying, WELS pastors may find a helpful tool for consolation in the Lutheran ... -
Identifying Good and Bad Stumbling Blocks in Ministry
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)What does it mean to be a stumbling block in the church? There is both a good and bad way of being a stumbling block for the church. Being a stumbling block in the good sense will help people understand the truth about the ... -
Meeting Together in the 21st Century: Exploring the Possibility of a Virtual Confessional Lutheran Congregation
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)This paper explores the possibility and feasibility of a confessional Lutheran congregation existing virtually. This paper addresses three main issues surrounding a virtual congregation. These three areas are worship, ... -
Empowering the Priests in the Pew: The Shepherd Leader Delegates to Multiply Ministry
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)August Pieper observed in the early 20th century that most Christians sitting in the pews rarely nor actively participated in the ministry of the Church, despite being members of the priesthood of all believers. This ... -
The Benefits and Challenges of Using Traction for Ministry Planning
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)In ministry planning, proposed methods for planning are abundant. Congregations utilize those methods in many different ways to plan and carryout ministry. Over fifty congregations in WELS employ one method called “Traction.” ... -
Lutheran Political Resistance: The Magdeburg Confession of 1550 and the Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrate
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Christians throughout the world can struggle with an unjust government. Scripture is clear that God has established the government for the benefit of society. Yet, there are certainly times that governments have not ruled ... -
Bridge Building: Being Sensitive in Cross-Cultural Preaching
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)How does a minister preach cross-culturally? Can they bridge the culturally divide?What can a preacher implement into his sermon-writing process to help him preach cross-culturally? This paper introduces the approach of ... -
A Matter of Membership: An Assessment of Active Congregational Membership
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)“WELS has approximately 56,000 fewer members than it did 25 years ago.” (Forward in Christ, Volume 105, Number 5 - May 2018). For many years, church membership has been in decline. Yet Covid hang-over symptoms such as ... -
Retrieval Practice for Memory Formation and Retention in the Catechism Classroom
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Retrieval practice can be defined as when “learners recall and apply multiple examples of previously learned knowledge or skills after a period of forgetting.”1It’s simple to understand and execute, supported by numerous ... -
Prideful Prejudice: The Effects of Worldview, Warrants, and Authority in Apologetics
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Christians and atheists both write apologetic books.Obviously, those books differ as the Christian attempts to win a hearing of the gospel, while the atheist attempts to prove that the existence of God is ridiculous.As I ... -
"You Will Be Like God:" Satan's Lie from the Garden to Utah
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Satan’s lies have corrupted mankind since the fall into sin. In recent years, his corruption has begun influencing people to use the Bible as the basis of their Scripture, but downplay its reliability. One such corruption ... -
A Pastor in Motion Stays in Motion: The Relationship between Exercise and Mental and Emotional Health
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Something that often is left out of the discussion among pastors is exercise. God creates us body and soul, and the best way to teach is by example. Several benefits stem from exercise as it applies to the ministry. This ... -
Radical Orthodoxy, Saint Augustine, and the Challenge of Nihilism: A Case Study in Doing Theology Under Adverse Conditions
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Radical Orthodoxy is a movement in contemporary theology which attempts to answer the challenges that nihilism and modernism pose to the theological endeavor. In doing so it makes extensive use of pre-modern sources, ... -
Proactive Marriage Counseling: A Look at the WELS Approach to Marriage Enrichment
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Marriage is foundational to society and the Church. In a world in which marriage is not only losing its meaning but also its value, it is important that the church continuesto help God’s people keep Christ’s love at the ... -
The Proper Distinction between Huber and the Synodical Conference: An Examination of the Doctrines of Election and Justification
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)Many, if not all,Wisconsin Synod pastors are aware of those internet blogs offering their “gracious and loving” critiques of the WELS doctrine of justification. Many, if not all,Wisconsin Synod pastors are aware of a few ... -
David the Prophet: An Examination of David in the Book of Samuel
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)In the New Testament, David is frequently labeled a prophet. Many interpreters have approached this with no concern and have read David the King as a prophet in the Old Testament accounts. Simply put, since David is called ...