Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Project Portfolio

Degree Name

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Department

Seminary

First Advisor

Michael Larson, DMin

Second Advisor

Tracy Cotterell, DMin

Third Advisor

Ken Van Vliet, DMin

Abstract

People of Redeemer Lutheran Church often experience a disconnect between Sunday worship and their ordinary lives, leaving them inattentive to everyday encounters with God.

Research and feedback from individuals and households revealed several key insights. First, participants reported that a clear, repeatable structure made spiritual attentiveness more sustainable in daily life. Second, integrating theology with design and usability proved essential for engagement across generations. Finally, stakeholder interaction with the resource affirmed that attentiveness to God would not bear fruit by adding more tasks, but by recognizing the everyday as holy ground.

The project was implemented in the ministry context of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, Colorado. Redeemer is a congregation affiliated with the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. It has a sizable staff and an average Sunday worship attendance of about 900 multigenerational, upper-middle-class, educated, predominantly Caucasian individuals. Redeemer offers both traditional and contemporary worship services and operates an Early Childhood Center.

Near & Now: Everyday Encounters with God is a 12-theme spiritual formation resource created to help households at Redeemer Lutheran Church bridge the gap between Sunday worship and everyday life. Each of the twelve moments invites participants to notice God’s presence in ordinary moments—such as eating meals, commuting, doing chores—through the Cross-Shaped Rhythm: Look Up (recognize God’s presence), Look In (examine your heart), Look Around (attend to others), and Look Forward (hope for what is to come). Designed as a paperback book, it features Scripture, reflection, and prayer in a clean, accessible layout inspired by stained-glass sanctuary windows and natural imagery. Blending theological depth with practical simplicity, Near & Now helps participants see that God is near—not only in corporate worship, but here and now in every moment.

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