Browsing Senior Theses by Title
Now showing items 180-199 of 331
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Maintaining Joy in Ministry: The Necessity of Vertical Fulfillment and Healthy Horizontal Awareness
(2019)Through his Word, God fills the human heart with a joy that is unlike anything this world has to offer. The pastor, in his calling, is immeasurably blessed to be able to spend the majority of his days reading God’s Word ... -
A Major Homiletical Challenge Facing the Young WELS Pastor In 2022: Sermon Form
(2023)Young pastors in the WELS face unique homiletical challenges in 2022. A survey was conducted by the author to discern what issues are most prominent from the perspective of the young pastor. The survey revealed that a major ... -
Making a Pre-Marriage Course that Makes a Difference
(2018)Graduates from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary will be expected to fulfill all of the roles of pastor which include giving pre-marriage counseling. This is a daunting task for any young, inexperienced pastor. One might borrow ... -
Marriage in the Patriarchal Period and Present-day Lessons for Young Adults
(2013)In Genesis chapter 24, there is a detailed account of how Isaac acquired his wife, Rebekah. This paper demonstrates that the account in Genesis does fit within its historical context of the patriarchal period and there is ... -
Martin Luther and the Happy Inconsistency
(2018)This study explores some of the significant historical events in Martin Luther’s life that provide insight into his understanding and application of the term “happy inconsistency.” It is specific to Luther’s interactions ... -
Martin Luther's Theology of Justification. A Response to the New Finnish Interpretation of Luther
(2018)In his writings, Martin Luther strove to present justification as the glorious gift that it is: God’s free forgiveness given on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice for sinners. The Lutheran Confessions rightly maintain this ... -
A Matter of Choice: On the Feasibility and Utility of an Eclectic Text of the Hebrew Bible
(2012)The exegesis of any biblical text is only as good as the text it examines. This thesis will lay out the case for the feasibility and utility of an eclectic text of the Hebrew Bible. First it explains the necessity and ... -
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 ... -
Meaningful Preaching on the First Commandment for Teens
(2018)Attention spans are short. Distractions are screaming for acknowledgment. Listening to an entire sermon is difficult. This may not be true for an entire congregation, but it might be a commonality among many people. When ... -
The Medium of Internet Vlogging Can Be a Useful Tool in Communicating the Faith to Teens and Young Adults
(2016)Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in 1534. He did this to connect the Bible with his people in a way they could understand. Since then, the Lutheran church has placed a high priority on connecting with people ... -
Meeting a Growing Need: The Pastoral Candidate's Preparation for Spiritual Care to Alzheimer's Patients
(2016)1 in 10 people in the United States over the age of sixty-five currently suffers with Alzheimer’s disease. Over 5 million people have been diagnosed, but thousands more may have the symptoms and not know it. The demographics ... -
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, ... -
A Method for Discovering and Applying the Specific Gospel in Your Specific Congregation
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2015-03-11)Within confessional Lutheran circles, the term “specific law” has a well-understood and widely-recognized meaning in the field of homiletics. In recent decades, the term “specific gospel” has grown in popularity. However, ... -
Ministering to the Recovering Alcoholic: Understanding Alcoholics Anonymous and Making Soul-Saving Connections
(2017)“Hark! The voice of Jesus crying, ‘Who will go and work today?’ Fields are ripe and harvest waiting; Who will bear the sheaves away?” These are a few of the words found in a Hymn titled “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying.” ... -
Ministering to Young Adults: How the Attitude of the Pastor And His Congregation Play a Role
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2021-02-19)This paper will focus on developing the faith of young adults. When young adults have more freedoms after high school, they face many new problems and temptations. To help me know and understand these struggles, I interviewed ... -
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, ... -
Mission-Minded Congregations are Market-Oriented Congregations: Congregational Marketing to the Glory of God
(2012)Despite the marketing-saturated world in which we live, congregations do not always seem to be market-oriented entities. This thesis defends and encourages the adoption of a market-oriented mindset in a mission-minded ... -
More Than a Spiritual Problem: The Pastor Deals with Anxiety
(Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, 2022-02-18)A pastor will encounter many joyful opportunities in his ministry; so also does he encounter many difficulties and challenges. The anxiety he feels in those moments is his body telling him to prepare for those challenges. ... -
The Most Important Aspect of a Congregation's Youth Ministry is Pastor-Teen Relationships
(2012)Why is youth ministry so difficult in today’s culture? Why do so many congregations’ youth ministries sputter out and fail? Why can’t youth ministers seem to be able to get their youth active in the life of their ... -
The Mother of All Vigils: the Use of the Ancient Easter Vigil in 21st Century Lutheran Churches
(2017)The Great Easter Vigil is certainly the most majestic and beautifully symbolic service in all of Christendom. With roots that trace back to the early second century, the Great Vigil is the most ancient of genuinely Christian ...