One-Chapter Wonders
Taught by Pastor Joel Leyrer
November 1 - December 13, 2020

Singers or musical groups who’ve recorded only one recognizable song in their career are sometimes referred to as “one-hit wonders.” In the Bible we might adjust and apply that phrase to those books of Scripture that consist of only a single chapter. There are five of them: Obadiah in the Old Testament, and Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, and Jude in the New Testament. While they may be short in length, like all of God’s Word, they are long in truth, and there is much we can learn from them. In this six-week Bible study we will examine what God has to teach us through each of these “one-chapter wonders.”

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Apocalypse Now - and Then
Taught by Rev. Dr. Paul Lehninger (Wisconsin Lutheran College)
September 20 - October 25, 2020

Plagues, civil unrest, false prophets, natural catastrophes, tension between church and state; these are all contemporary issues that trouble many Christians. They’re also nothing new. But are they signs of the end? Jesus’ prophecies of the end times and the book of Revelation provide reliable insight as to the best of times, the worst of times, and whether the end is near.

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Forgiveness / Life, Death, and Faith
Led by Rev. Phil Henselin (Institutional Ministries)
August 23 & 30, 2020

Rev. Phil Henselin is the Executive Director of Institutional Ministries. This ministry has four pillars: Corrections, Healthcare, Extended Care, and Ongoing Support. Institutional Ministries serves individuals behind walls, and their families. It aids them as they re-integrate or cope in society. Pastor Phil’s personal passion and chaplaincy expertise involves First Responder support.       
 

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Stinking Thinking
Led by Rev. Phil Merten (Institutional Ministries)
August 2-16, 2020

For over 30 years, Chaplain Merten has walked alongside people in their process of recovery from addiction to chemicals like alcohol and narcotics. He’s come to appreciate their labor of questioning and relearning the thought patterns they’ve gotten accustomed to. One recovery slogan says, “My best thinking got me where I am now.” It’s really the same work God gives all his people: to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” and “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). We’ll look at some of the ways “stinking thinking” shows up and at the grace God gives to give us a new way of thinking.

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Moral Injury and PTSD
Led by Rev. Phil Henselin (Institutional Ministries)
July 12-26, 2020

Pastor Phil Henselin volunteered as a police and fire chaplain for seven years before accepting the call as Executive Director of Institutional Ministries. While doing chaplaincy, he began to offer support for First Responders who were struggling with situations causing moral and post-traumatic stress injuries. He continues to offer this support in his new role at Institutional Ministries.

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Masks of God: Vocation as the Setting for Human Flourishing 
Led by Rev. Dr. Michael Berg (Wisconsin Lutheran College)
May 31 - June 28, 2020

The doctrine of vocation uniquely answers the ancient question “What is the good life?” God frees the Christian from the burden of self-justification through Christ’s redeeming work. He then puts on Christians as if they were masks in order to love the world. The ordinariness of life is made extraordinary, even divine. God frees the Christian and then uses the Christian. Dr. Berg explores the notions of the good life, shalom, flourishing, and happiness to show that in vocation the Christian finds his highest calling, the truly good, flourishing, and happy life.

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For the Generations to Come: The Church in 21st Century America
Led by Pastor Kyle Bitter
April 19 - May 17, 2020

We’ve probably all seen the numbers. Christianity in America (and in our Wisconsin Synod) is in the midst of a substantial numeric decline – and the rate of decline has been increasing. What can Christians do? What should Christians do? What does God want us to do? Pastor Jon Hein tackled all these questions – and more – in his plenary address at last summer’s Synod Convention. Led by Pastor Bitter, this online Bible study will watch segments of Pastor Hein’s presentation and discuss applications to church life at St. John’s. As in the previous online Bible study, text-in comments and questions are encouraged. Things might be unusually quiet right now, but that makes this an excellent time to plan for seizing the opportunities God has placed before us when society starts to reopen.

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Male and Female He Created Them
Led by Pastor Eric Schroeder
January 5 - April 5, 2020

Sex. Gender. Masculine and feminine. Male and female. Are we still allowed to use these terms in today’s world? How do we maintain a biblical stance without getting ourselves into trouble? Good questions, right? Our synod has recently produced a timely Bible study on this topic, and we will spend several weeks going back to the one true source of teaching. We may adjust our terminology, but we dare not adjust God’s Word. Time-permitting, we will also discuss a supplementary statement on human sexuality, personhood, and identity. Join us on Sunday mornings for this relevant topical study.

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The Last Word on the End Times
Led by Pastor Joel Leyrer
November 3 - December 15, 2019

Every Sunday we confess our belief that Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.”  But when?  What exactly are the signs that precede the end?  Have they been fulfilled?  What about the Antichrist?  What is the Rapture?  And the Millennial kingdom?  In this Bible study we will sort through the confusion and various interpretations that surround the “end times” as we let Scripture alone provide the last word.

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Christian Apologetics
Led by Dr. Michael Berg (Wisconsin Lutheran College)
September 15-29, 2019

Christian Apologetics can be described as “defending the faith using reason.” The biblical mandate for apologetics comes from 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason (apologia) for the hope that you have.” Yet there is more to the story. Apologetics is a ministry of caring: we care about the doubts of skeptics and believers alike. While Christians cannot produce faith in dead hearts, they can knock down faulty arguments against the Christian message and make a positive argument for the Christian faith. The apologetic task is to make the case for the Christian claim and let the Spirit do the work of faith by presenting the gospel to the skeptic.

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