Worship Resources
Personal Study Resources
Here you can find a variety of resources to aid your personal and devotional study on a variety of subjects, prepared by Dr. Bill Cullen. Click on the red titles to download. We hope these bless and strengthen your Christian walk!
Bible Study Resources
A Go- To Guide: Dr. Cullen's resource for anyone interested in digging deeper into personal and devotional Bible study.
Micah Study Guide: The Mt Olive Staff is currently studying Micah together; this is the guide we are using. Sharing with anyone who wants to study this book on their own; feel free to ask questions of Dr. Bill or the Pastoral staff!
Gospel of Matthew Study Guide: Dr. Bill has made us a number of these studies on various books of the Bible, to accompany and/or guide you in personal study of each book. Enjoy!
Gospel of Mark Participant's Guide: the devotional guide from the Connections summer 2020 session, which can be used anytime you find yourself studying this Gospel.
Gospel of Mark Devotional: to accompany personal study of Mark.
Gospel of Luke Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Luke.
Gospel of John study guide - to accompany our Monday morning Bible study study
Acts Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Acts.
Romans Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Romans.
1st Corinthians study guide - to accompany personal study of 1st Corinthians.
2nd Corinthians study guide - to accompany personal study of 2nd Corinthians.
Galatians Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Galatians.
Ephesians Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Ephesians.
Philippians Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Philippians.
Colossians Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Colossians.
1st & 2nd Thessalonians Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Thessalonians.
Pastoral Epistles: to accompany personal study of Timothy, Titus and more.
Hebrews Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Hebrews.
James Study Guide: to accompany personal study of James.
1st & 2nd Peter Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Peter.
1st Epistle of John Study Guide: to accompany personal study of 1st John.
One Chapter Epistles Study Guide: to accompany personal study of Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude.
Heilsgeschichte: a study on the unfolding of God's covenant promises
Discipleship Resources
Disciple, Discipling, Discipleship: An article on....you guessed, it, what it means to be a Disciple!
Activating the Church : A resource for honing vision in mission. This can be applied to our daily lives, as well as our church lives.
Jesus did not Come to Set Up a Program: A tool to get us to think about how we "do" church, and what assumptions we bring to church work.
Cutting to Grow: Who do we want to be? Who does God want us to be?
Mission/Outreach Resources
Neighboring Article- What does it mean to be a neighbor, and how can this be part of our Christian mission?
Five Point Friend - advice on intentional friendship
Proclaiming the Gospel Vs Defending the Gospel: What is the difference and why is it important?
Education Resources
Being Strategic in Christian Education: A resource to get us thinking about missional thinking in discipleship and education.
Christian Education Using the Social Sciences: Using educational theory and methodologies to enrich the teaching-learning experience
Teaching With Humility: Education Vs Indoctrination: A guide on this nuanced distinction and how it comes to bear on the effectiveness of our teaching.
Word Study--Kingdom: A detailed guide on how to do a Biblical word study and teach concepts surrounding the Bible's references to the Kingdom
Word Study--Love: A detailed guide on how to do a Biblical word study and teach concepts surrounding the Bible's various love languages
Theology Resources
Luther's Theology: an introductory guide to some of Luther's theology
Luther's Treatise on Christian Liberty: a guide for the study and application of this core text on Lutheran discipleship
Law and Gospel: This is a phrase we hear a lot, but how do we understand it?
Justification and Sanctification: Two integral concepts with a lot to unpack. A guide for doing so.
One Way to Measure Spiritual Maturity: What does it mean to have spiritual maturity?
Confession with Conviction: notes on understanding confession, conviction and forgiveness
Following Jesus With James - Bible Study
The book of James is a challenge for Christians of all times and places as the half brother of our Lord bids the Church to live out its confession of faith. In his relevant call to embody our discipleship, James provides wisdom for how to be Christians in the world in difficult times. He addresses the hard topics of temptation, prayer, where we find wisdom, how we use our words for teaching others, the stress caused in communities of faith by attending the needs of the rich and ignoring the poor, among others. Throughout all these topics we hear in James' words the echo of Jesus' own teaching found in the gospels, freshly applied to the needs of contemporary Christian living. This makes this a book worth exploring as we listen to the living voice of our Savior.
We are excited to invite you all to join us, this lententide, in "Following Jesus with James.", produced by Pastor Alex, Pastor Krause, and Dr. Bill Cullen.
Week 1: James 1:1-18 Maturing Through Trials- Pastor Alex video
Discussion questions click here.
Handout for bible study click here.
Week 2: James 1:19-27 Hearing and Doing the Word- Pastor Krause video
Discussion questions click here.
Handout for bible study click here.
Week 3: James 2:1-26 Faith Displayed Through Works- Dr. Bill Cullen video
Discussion questions click here.
Handout for bible study click here.
Week 4: James 3 Faith Displayed Through Works and Wisdom-Pastor Krause video
Discussion questions click here.
Handout for bible study click here.
Week 5: James 4 Wars and Battles- Pastor Alex video
Discussion questions click here.
Handout for bible study click here.
Week 6: James 5 Following Jesus in Mission- Dr. Bill Cullen video
Discussion questions click here.
Handout for bible study click here.
God's Story Our Mission
God's Story Our Mission Curriculum
This Bible Study is a church-wide small group series, with a curriculum written by Pastor Alex.
Week 1 video lesson available HERE
Week 1 participant guide available HERE
Week 1 facilitator's guide available HERE
Week 2 video lesson available HERE
Week 2 participant guide available HERE
Week 2 facilitator's guide available HERE
Week 3 Video Lesson available HERE
Week 3 participant guide available HERE
Week 3 facilitator's guide available HERE
Week 4 Video Lesson available HERE
Week 4 participant guide available HERE
Week 4 facilitator's guide available HERE
Week 5 Video Lesson HERE
Week 5 participant guide available HERE
Week 5 facilitator's guide available HERE
Week 6 Video Lesson HERE
Week 6 participant guide available HERE
Week 6 facilitator's guide available HERE
Week 7 Video Lesson HERE
Week 7 guide for both facilitators and participants HERE
Week 8 Video Lesson HERE
Week 8 guide for both facilitators and participants HERE
Week 9 Video Lesson HERE
Week 9 guide for both facilitators and participants HERE