Education
Good News for Ordinary People
Where Faith and Life Connect
Draw nearer to God by exploring the Bible and experiencing the power and possibility of Scripture. Express your faith in new ways through personal study and small group discussions. Adult Education offers Bible studies, book groups, classes, and events to deepen your faith and help you apply it to your daily life.
Living the Message
Essential Eight Bible Stories Taught by Pastor Lose
If you had a friend or family member who wanted to know what this “Christianity-thing” was all about and asked you for some good Bible stories to them get started, what stories would you share? This year in Living the Message, we’re trying to answer that question by looking at – actually, reconsidering – eight important stories that reveal who God is for us. Each of them is reasonably familiar. And each of them, in my opinion, is often either underestimated or misinterpreted. Finally, each of them, when read differently, gives us access to a God bigger, bolder, and way more interesting than the one we’d perhaps imagined and, in this way, can revitalize our faith. The lineup of this year’s “essential eight” includes the following:
- October 1: Exodus 3: God is revealed by what God does.
- November 12*: Exodus 20: God’s chief desire is that we love each other.
- December 3: Mark 7: God became one of us. Really!
- January 7: Genesis 3: God will not give up on us.
- February 4: Luke 15: God doesn’t wait for us to be ready.
- March 4: Jonah 4: God’s love is bigger than we think.
- April 1: 1 Kings 19: God shows up in the most unlikely of places.
- May 6: Luke 24: God is available to us here and now.
Series runs the first Tuesday of the month October 2024 through May 2025, 6:30-7:30pm
All held at Mpls except for November and March are at West.
*One week later due to Election Day on November 5.
Mpls Campus: 5025 Knox Ave South, Mpls, MN 55419 in Room 207
West Campus: 7150 Rolling Acres Road, Victoria, MN 55386 in the Rehearsal Hall
Also available via pre-recorded videos emailed the first Tuesday of the month
All are welcome at any time!
Questions? Contact Katie Stevenson, Coordinator of Adult Education by email or at 612.767.2232.
Word with Your Pastors
In the Beginning: Genesis Origin Stories
Origin stories have been all the rage in recent years. Whether it’s the origins of Wolverine or Batman or James Bond, we love discovering the backstory of favorite characters. This fall, join a few of your pastors – veteran and new! – to look at the original origin story, Genesis. Its name tells it all: Genesis; that is, “the beginning,” as “In the beginning…”! These are the origin stories of Israel, Christianity, and us, as when we dive into these narratives, we get the back story on what it means to be human and in relationship with a loving God. We’ll be reading several of these stories across October and November in worship, and taking a deeper dive in our Wednesday/Thursday classes at both campuses. So join your pastors to jump into some of the most important stories ever told.
October 23/24: Beginnings with Pastor Lose
October 30/31: Jacob: The Heel to Israel with Pastor Cieslik
November 6/7: In the Place of God, Joseph’s Story with Pastor Grangaard
November 13/14: Stories of Overlooked Women with Pastor Olson Popp
Wednesdays at Mpls; 10:30-11:30am; 5025 Knox Ave South, Mpls, MN 55419 in Room 207
Thursdays at West; 10:30-11:30am; 7150 Rolling Acres Road, Victoria, MN 55386 in the Rehearsal Hall
Also available via recorded videos emailed one week after Mpls class
Register Here for the Mpls Campus Classes
Register Here for the West Campus Classes
Questions? Contact Katie Stevenson, Coordinator of Adult Education by email or at 612.767.2232.
Adult Education Videos
The Rise & Fall of the American Christian Empire? Pastor Dixon – Spring 2024
- Session 1 | The Origins of the Church in America
- Session 2 | The Rise of Fundamentalism
- Session 3 | The Rise of the Religious Right
- Session 4 | The Decline of American Christianity
God Reimagined: The Biblical Foundation of Luther’s Reformation (Living the Message 2023-2024)
- 2023-24 Living the Message Overview
- Session 1 – The God You Didn’t Expect: Justification by Faith
- Session 2 – God’s Two Words: Law & Gospel
- Session 3 – An Ambidextrous God: Two Kingdoms
- Session 4 – Called for Good: Vocation
- Session 5 – God Hidden and Revealed: Theology of the Cross
- Session 6 – Visible Words: Sacraments
- Session 7 – Semper Simul: Saint & Sinner
- Session 8 – Walls Optional: The Church
Costly Witness, Costly Grace, Free in Christ: The Life and Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Winter 2024
For Heaven’s Sake, Give It a Rest!: God’s Radical Sabbath Command – Fall 2024
- Session 1 | Remembering the Sabbath: Beyond Worship, A Wholly Endeavor
- Session 2 | Keeping the Sabbath: Saying “No” to Pharaoh
- Session 3 | Giving the Sabbath: It’s Nothing Personal
- Session 4 | Embracing Sabbath: Humans, Being
Built On a Rock ~ Exploring the Heart of Christianity from Genesis to Revelation (LIVING THE MESSAGE – 2022-2023)
- Oct 2022 – God Talk: Theology In and Out of the Bible with Pastor Lose
- Nov 2022 – Original Blessing: Creation (at West) with Pastor Ruud
- Dec 2022 – Missing the Mark: Sin with Pastor Lose
- Jan 2023 – East of Eden: Covenant, Law, and Community with Pastor Ruud
- Feb 2023 – God con Carne: Incarnation with Pastor Lose
- Mar 2023 – Love Wins: Atonement (at West) with Pastor Lose
- Apr 2023 – The Body of Christ: Church and Holy Spirit with Pastor Ruud
- May 2023 – The End of All Things: Eschatology with Pastor Ruud
Becoming a Community of Shalom – Spring 2023
- The Beauty and Promise of Shalom with Rev. Dr. Theresa Latini
- Equanimity for Turbulent Times with Rev. Dr. Theresa Latini
- Compassion for Self and Others with Rev. Dale Peterson
- Wisdom in Daily Life with Rev. Dale Peterson
Behind the Book(s): A History of How Our Bible Came to Be – Winter 2023
- What’s In? with Pastor Lose
- What’s Out? with Pastor Cieslik
- A Translation Tour with Pastor Ruud
- Gutenberg and the Reformation with Pastor Dixon
Pray Without Ceasing – Fall 2022
- What Is Prayer? with Pastor MacLean
- Prayer & the Community of the Spirit with Pastor Dixon
- Prayers My Grandmother Taught Me with Pastor Kalland
- How Should We Pray? with Pastor Freeman
So What?! Does Luther’s Theology Still Matter? – Spring 2022
- Two Kingdoms: Faith, Politics & the Body of Christ with Pastor Lose
- Justification: You Just Can’t Help Yourself with Pastor Ruud
- Law & Gospel: It’s a Matter of Death and Life with Pastor Dixon
- Vocation: Why Should I Get Out of Bed? with Pastor Cieslik
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the New Testament (Living the Message 2021-2022 series)
- Oct 2021: What is a Gospel Anyway? The Big Four ~ plus some New Testament overview with Pastor Lose
- Nov 2021: What Is the Kingdom of God and Why Does Jesus Talk About It So Much? Matthew, Mark, and Luke with Pastor Ruud
- Dec 2021: What About John? John, the Maverick Gospel with Pastor Lose
- Jan 2022: Jesus Is Risen! Now What? Acts of the Apostles with Pastor Ruud
- Feb 2022: Why Is Paul Such a Big Deal? Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, Philemon with Pastor Lose
- March 2022: How Did Paul’s Legacy Continue? Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus with Pastor Ruud
- April 2022: What About All These Other Letters? Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude with Pastor Lose
- May 2022: Seriously… What’s Up with Revelation? Pastor Lose and Pastor Ruud duke it out over this intriguing final Book of the Bible
The Gospel of Mark – Winter 2022
- Mark: The Gospel as the Evening News with Pastor Ruud
- Bookends of Revelation & Fulfillment in Mark with Pastor Kalland
- Healings in Mark: “Your Faith Has Set You Free” with Pastors Freeman and Hammersten
- The Hidden Kingdom: The Parables of Jesus in Mark with Pastor Dixon
The Word with Your Pastors: The Prophets –Fall 2021
- Prophets: Burdened, Blessed & Bothersome with Pastor Lose
- Jeremiah: Prophet of Lament & Faithfulness with Pastor Dixon
- Isaiah: Prophet of Warning, Comfort & Hope with Rev. Dr. Theresa Latini
- Minor Prophets: Short Books, Big Themes with Pastor Ruud
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Bible… but were afraid to ask! (Living the Message 2020-2021 series)
- May: Q&A with Pastors Lose & Ruud
- April Question: What About the Really Hard (or Weird?!) Parts? with Pastor Lose
- April Deeper Dive
- March Question: How Do I Enjoy Reading the Bible (Part 2)? with Pastor Ruud
- March Deeper Dive: The Prodigal Son, Part 2
- February Deeper Dive: The Prodigal Son, Part 1
- February Question: How Can I Enjoy Reading the Bible (Part 1)? with Pastor Lose
- January Question: Who Wrote the Bible? with Pastor Ruud
- January Bonus Video: Deeper Dive on passages from the Gospel of John with Pastor Lose
- December Question: Is the Bible the Word of God? With Pastor Lose
- December Bonus Video: Deeper Dive: The Raising of Lazurus
- November Question: Is the Bible True?
- November Bonus Video: Deeper Dive: the Garden of Gethsemane (told 3 ways!)
- October Question: What Is the Bible, Anyway? with Pastor Ruud
What Does “Lutheran” Mean?
- Session 1 | Faith Alone: There’s nothing for you to do… No, but seriously… there’s nothing for you to do… seriously
- Session 2 | Saints and Sinners: Living the double life. Resurrected daily.
- Session 3 | Theology of the Cross: The Power of God found in puny, weak, common, hidden things, and why we often seek something more
- Session 4 | Vocation: What to do, and what God does with you, now that there’s nothing to do, sometimes whether you like it or not.
Gospel of Matthew
- The Gospel of Matthew Introduction with Pastor Lose
- Matthew’s Community with Pastor Dixon
- Law & Righteousness with Pastor Ruud
- Emmanuel: God with Us with Rev. Dr. Theresa Latini
Journey through Hell – Click Here for the Study Guide
- A walk-through of ‘hell” with Pastor Lose
- Who Is Satan? with Pastor Dixon
- Antichrist as anti-Christ with Pastor Ruud
Rally in the Valley – A Study of King David
- Overview with Pastor Ruud
- David and Goliath with Pastor MacLean
- David’s Anointing as King with Pastor Lose
- David and Bathsheba with Pastor Freeman
“The Story Behind the Nativity Story” with Pastor Lose
“The Story Behind the Seven Last Words of Christ” with Pastor Lose and Dr. Beverly Claflin.
Video #1 – Introduction
Video #2 – Words 1, 2, 3 & 4
Video #3 – Words 5, 6, 7 & the Chorale
Book Discussions
Evening and Daytime Options
Come and enjoy a lively discussion of a new book every month. The same book will be discussed at the evening and daytime options. New members are always welcome! You can join in for one discussion – or all!
Daytime Discussions: 10-11:30am the second Tuesday of the month; Mpls; Bonnie Morris, facilitator
Evening Discussions: 7-8:30pm the second Wednesday of the month; Mpls; Mary Slinde, facilitator
Register here for Daytime Discussion
Register here for Evening Discussion
Or contact Katie Stevenson at katies@mtolivet.org | 612.767.2232.
Upcoming Books:
2024
September 10/11: Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
October 8/9: How to Know a Person by David Brooks
November 12/13: Trust by Hernan Diaz
December 10/11: West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
2025
January 14/15: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
February 11/12: Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin
March 11/12: Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
April 8/9: I am, I am, I am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell
May 13/14: Mrs. Winchester’s Biographer by Deanna Sletten
June 10/11: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
LGBTQ Voice and Verse
LGBTQ Voice and Verse is an educational opportunity of communal study in love, support, and continued understanding of all aspects of gender identity and sexual orientation in faithful life together. Through shared experience, discussion, and learning, this group seeks to build mutual awareness and insight in this particular reality of faith and life toward honor and love for all.
If you’d like more information about LGBTQ Voice and Verse, contact Katie Stevenson at 612.767.2232 or by email.