Telling the Next Generation

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Telling the Next Generation is a ministry provided by the WELS Commission on Evangelism and the Commission on Lutheran Schools. The program serves congregations of the WELS with planning, assistance, and resources for implementation of outreach and harvest strategies utilizing their Lutheran elementary school and/or early childhood ministry.

Equip Women to Teach the Word

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“Equip Women to Teach the Word” is a training tool for congregations that want to encourage and prepare women to serve as faithful teachers of God’s Word in different ministry settings.

Mentoring A Returning Citizen

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This module provides training resources to help church leaders prepare their members to mentor people returning to the community from incarceration.

Prison Ministry Awareness

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This module provides promotional resources to help congregations be aware of the mission potential of WELS Prison Ministry and to cultivate concern for the lost.

Let’s Go

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Let’s Go is designed to encourage and equip Christians to connect unchurched people in their lives to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One by One

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One by One is a Bible study based on Pastor David Rosenau’s keynote presentation at the WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership in January of 2020.

Everyone Outreach

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Everyone Outreach is a program designed to help your congregation discover its thought habits and develop new thinking and behaviors that build a culture of outreach.

Congregational Evangelism Kit

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Video-based training for congregational evangelism leaders. Putting these tools in place will ensure that your congregation has a solid foundation to reach the lost in your community. 

Catechism Class – Sample Models

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Confirmation is not a biblically-mandated practice, but an ecclesiastical rite that has developed over time. This explains the variety that exists in both the understanding and practice of confirmation.

Youth Ministry Made Simple

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Learn more about Youth Ministry Made Simple in the introduction video.

Youth Bible Study – Focused Living in Christ

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Learn more about Focused Living in Christ in the introduction video.

Acoustics and Audio for Worship

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This module discusses various things a congregation will consider when trying to create a worship environment that enhances the spoken word, as well as allowing for dynamic singing.

Effective Service Playing: The Partnership between Organist and Congregation

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In this resource, principles of orchestral wind playing and communication between conductor and players are applied to the organist's tasks of playing hymns and liturgy.

Worship Led by a Modern Ensemble

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This module demonstrates the potential of leading worship with an ensemble consisting of piano, guitar, bass, hand percussion, and various solo instruments.

Recovery Friendly Churches

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This module helps congregations better understand the spiritual struggles and other dimensions of recovery for people who desire to free themselves of addiction.

Serving as a Military Contact Pastor (MCP)

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This module is intended for pastors and lay people who are interested in learning about ministry to the military.

Worship Folders

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Are you interested in upgrading your worship folders? If so, you’ll think through two issues: 1) content to include and 2) matters of design.

Starting an Early Childhood Ministry or Lutheran Elementary School

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This module helps congregations think through the reasons and logistics of starting, expanding, or revitalizing a preschool, childcare, other form of early childhood ministry, or Lutheran elementary school.

Ministering to People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

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This module helps congregations make their worship, Bible study and other activities more accessible to people who have hearing loss, whether they are deaf or hard of hearing.

Welcome Home – Elder Training

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You have discovered Welcome Home—a video-based program designed to help equip lay leaders of your congregation identify and reach out to missing members from your church family.

Ministering to Millennials

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This module helps congregations better understand the unique way millennials think about church/religion and evaluate how they are doing in retaining members and reach potential members in that generation.

Bible Studies to Encourage Caring Congregations

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This module lays the foundation of Christian love in congregational ministry: both compassion for the burdens of members and caring for those in the community whose needs can be a bridge for love and the gospel.

Ministerial Growth and Evaluation Process

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This module lays out a program for producing an education climate with a commitment to livelong learning, continuous growth, and ongoing ministry development.

School Accreditation & Quality Assurance

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The module stresses the importance of a continuous school improvement plan for schools at all levels.

Equipping Members for Evangelism

Addressing Delinquency

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This module lays out an orderly system of following up on members who have been absent from worship for a certain period of time.

Planning Lutheran Worship

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This module lays out a process for comprehensive worship planning. It demonstrates how a congregation can plan worship series without abandoning the pericope.

The Liturgical Framework

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This module demonstrates how within the framework of the Western Rite, an infinite amount of options are available. It lays down some guidelines for adding liturgical variety in an appropriate manner.

Explaining Worship Customs and Traditions

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This module demonstrates why it is important to explain what we do in worship. It offers suggestions for how this can be done well.

The Role of the Choir

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This module allows worship leaders to discuss various ways to use the choir, beyond the choral anthem. It demonstrates how the choir can be used to introduce new music or assist with the liturgy.

Producing a Mission Statement

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This module walks a congregation through the production of a mission statement that can then be used as a baseline in planning and assessing ministry.

Standing Up for Children: A Christian Response to Child Abuse and Neglect

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This module explains the need for training members to identify abuse when it occurs and how to respond. It includes a link to the free online training available on WELS.net University.

Children Making Music

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This module encourages the next generation of musicians.