WLS Digital Document Library System: Recent submissions
Now showing items 2981-3000 of 7419
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Chosen By God: Teaching the Doctrine of Election to Encourage our People in Outreach
(2020)While it is considered by many as a difficult and tricky doctrine, Scripture shows us that election is nothing to be afraid of. It is the purpose of this thesis to explore the application of this doctrine to our gospel ... -
Upon the Lips of Another Christian: Private Confession and Absolution as Described by Lutheran Pastors Today
(2020)Confessional Lutherans know from Luther’s Small Catechism that private confession and absolution is good and scriptural, but is it feasible to implement into twenty-first century gospel ministry? We know our great ... -
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Reaction to World War Two
(2020)Two great events marked the first half of the twentieth century: the First and Second World Wars. The common theme of these two catastrophic events is that Germany found itself on the wrong side of history in both ... -
Incurvatus in Se(lfie): Understanding How a World Framed by Social Media Promotes the Theology of Glory
(2020)Social media is a prevailing force in the world today. It shapes the way that people view the world. Consequently, social media affects the way that people think and act. In particular, social media caters to the natural ... -
Proselytizing and Stealing Sheep: Historical Lutheranism's Perspective on Evangelizing the Heterodox
(2020)Is it acceptable to evangelize those who are already Christians? Such a question has likely come into the mind of many pastors who have looked to do evangelism but noticed that many of those around them are not unchurched. ... -
StrengthsFinder and Its Use Within the WELS
(2020)WELS pastors have a multitude of thoughts about StrengthsFinder. They have a variety of responses along with different opinions on how it should or shouldn’t be used. This thesis explores StrengthsFinder as a whole. ... -
The Development of Lutheran Preaching: A Review of Select Sermons by Martin Luther, C.F.W. Walther, and Siegbert Becker
(2020)The phrase Sola Scriptura rings loudly in the minds of Lutheran ministers. Scripture alone is the means by which God brings his life saving message to all people. Pastors want to rightly handle the Word of God as they ... -
Multi-Site Ministry: How This Model can Enhance the Ability of WELS Congregations to Adopt a Mission Mindset
(2020)Multi-site ministry has captivated the attention of congregations in recent decades by showing the potential for greater impact in surrounding communities. This thesis investigates the nuances of multi-site ministry ... -
Christ on Screen: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Christian-Based Visual Media in Evangelism and Entertainment
(2020)Christian-based media has tended to be a one-or-the-other kind of situation or scenario. Either a production will be doctrinally sound but have distractingly poor production values, or it will have a large budget but ... -
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 ...