Vocations and the Church
by Ted Engelbrecht
August 28th, 2012
The real-world ministry problem discussed in this dissertation is the decline of聽professional church workers in the Lutheran Church 鈥� Missouri Synod, and a proposed聽solution to address it. The problem is addressed through research and the proposed聽solution will include a curriculum of study for teaching would-be recruits that includes an聽experiential component and follow-up counseling with them.
Chapter 1 introduces the problem and which audiences the solution would target to聽address it. It also notes other stakeholders in the solution and the transformational聽objectives to which it would hope to contribute. Chapter 2 discusses the history of the聽problem in terms of the church鈥檚 attitudes to the role of the laity and clergy through time聽and the context of the problem as it relates to my church body both in the United States聽and Asia. Chapter 3 discusses how other authors have addressed the problem and聽highlights how they contribute to the solution offered here. Chapter 4 lays the biblical聽and theological basis for Christian vocation and calling of people into God鈥檚 service that
will figure in the proposed solution. In Chapter 5, research undertaken both in the United聽States and Asia is analyzed and discussed to both identify the problem and help direct the聽solution. Chapter 6 then discusses the desired outcome and Chapter 7 the proposed聽solution towards meeting that outcome, which is a course of study that includes both聽teaching a proper theology of vocation and work in the context of an experiential activity聽that creates the 鈥渄isorienting dilemma,鈥� which is a key to the transformation of those聽involved in the training. Chapter 8 outlines those hopes and the steps needed to complete聽this undertaking.