Previous symposium essays are available in the WLS library’s Essay File under the name of the essayist and found below.
2023 The Two Kingdoms
Wade Johnston
Church and State Throughout the Centuries: Tales of Conflict and Confusion
2022 Compassion Ministry
Keith Wessel
See How They Love One Another! The Ministry of Compassion in Scripture and Early Christianity to 300 AD.
Glen Thompson
Chrisitan Compassion Through the Centuries
Ryan Kolander
Cultivating a Culture of Compassion: The Opportunity is Ours
2021 Pastoral Wellness
Mark Paustian
I Am Convinced: A Devotional Appropriation of Romans 8 to the Life of the Pastor
Jonathan Scharf
I Believe that I am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: The Pastor Cares for His Body
Benjamin Kohls
Emotional Wellness: Holistic Care for God’s Workmanship
2020 Martin Luther’s 1520 Treatises
Jason Oakland
Luther’s Call to Action: A Consideration of To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation
James Danell
The Freedom of a Christian and Treatise on Good Works
Benjamin Schaefer
“Breaking Free”: Martin Luther’s Babylonian Captivity of the Church in Context
2019 Christian Apologetics
Michael Berg
An Introduction to and Defense of Apologetics
Luke Thompson
Disclosing the Hidden God: Confessional Lutheran Doctrine and Christian Apologetics
Justin Cloute
Apologetics in a Postmodern World
2018 The Pastor as Shepherd-Leader
David Scharf
St. Paul and Martin Luther: Paradigms of Shepherd-Leaders
Jonathan Schroeder
Shepherds Under the Cross
Jonathan Hein
The Shepherd-Leader at Work: Moving Forward (The Need for Careful Listening & Careful Reasoning)
2017 Reformation 500 (Martin Luther)
Kenneth Cherney Jr
Core Like a Rock: Luther’s Theological Center
Paul Wendland
Martin Luther–God’s Voice
Mark Zarling
Luther and the Saints: The Priesthood of All Believers – A True Treasure of the Lutheran Reformation
Mark Braun
Martin Luther and the State
2016 Hermeneutics
Steven Lange
The Value of Hermeneutics
Benjamin Tomczak
Hermeneutics and the Confessions
Daniel Waldschmidt
The Hermeneutics of the New Perspective on Paul
2015 Pastor as Teacher
Aaron Mueller
Jesus Taught The Way of Life — and So Do We
Daniel Habben
St. Augustine Taught the Catechumens and So Do We
Paul Prange
Luther Taught the Children—and So Do We
2014 Preaching
Michael Jensen
Christ, the Preacher: Tracing Our Preaching Roots to Jesus
Andrew Bauer
An Evaluation of Modern Evangelical Preaching
Phillip Sievert
A Paradigm for 21st Century Lutheran Preachers
2013 Pastor and His Seminary Training
Harland Goetzinger
The Pastor as Exegete
Michael Seifert
The Pastor as Dogmatician
Bart Brauer
The Pastor as Church Historian
2012 Brotherly Admonition
John Koelpin
Brotherly Admonition in the Congregation: God’s Seeking Grace
Earle Treptow
Brotherly Admonition in the Ministerium
James Huebner
Brotherly Admonition that Encourages Accountability
2011 Lutheran Schools
Mark Braun
What Our Fathers Taught Us about Lutheran Schools
Donald Patterson
What Practical Experience Teaches Us about Lutheran Schools
2010 Worship and Outreach
2009 Congregational Health
2008 The Church
2007 Christian Stewardship
2006 Christian Vocation
2005 Lutheran Confessions
2004 Pastoral Education
2003 Holy Communion
2002 Holy Baptism
2001 Christian Freedom
2000 Forward in Christ at the Dawn of a New Millennium