CAP Seminars are open to all – pastors, staff ministers, teachers, and lay people. It is not necessary to be involved in CAP to attend our seminars. Anyone interested in learning more about the presented topic is encouraged to attend. Hosting a seminar is a great way to introduce the program to your members. It is also an excellent opportunity for spiritual growth within your congregation, as well as fellowship with neighboring WELS congregations since they are all invited to attend. For congregations who already have CAP students, hosting a weekend seminar is a great way for them to finish a course in just one day!
CAP Seminars are held on Saturdays from either 8 am – 3 pm or 9 am – 4 pm, whichever works best for the congregation. You select the time, date and topic and the CAP office arranges a speaker to present.
When the date, topic, and speaker have been confirmed, our office will create a flyer and bulletin insert to promote the seminar. Invitations are sent to WELS congregations in your area. We also post the information on our website, to let others know about the opportunity.
If you are interested in hosting a seminar, please complete and return the seminar request form at least two months prior to the proposed seminar date. You can also click the button to the right to complete an online form.
The following is more detailed information about weekend seminars.
Topics available for one-day seminars include:
- Christ’s Church and Her Ministry
- Life of Luther
- Law and Gospel
- Christian Family
- Christian Leadership
The Congregational Assistant Program will provide the following:
- Coordination of speaker to present
- Simple publicity materials (flyer & bulletin insert)
- Invitation (including publicity) to neighboring congregations
- A seminar sign-in sheet for use at registration
- Consumable study materials, mailed to seminar location prior to date of event
- The speaker’s honorarium, and all travel expenses
Hosting Congregation(s) will provide:
- A room with sufficient study space for estimated number of participants
- PowerPoint projection capability for speaker
- A flat fee of $150.00 (first time seminar) or $300.00 (any subsequent seminar)
- You may co-host a seminar with another WELS church to split the cost
- Individual fees of $10.00 per person (as paid by participants at registration)
Further things to consider for the request form:
- Will you provide lunch for those in attendance?
- Most congregations either provide free will offering lunch. If that is not something you are interested in doing, we ask that you dismiss the group for an hour so they can get lunch on their own. The choice up to you. Please indicate on the request form, so I know what to include on the promotional materials and seminar agenda.
- Will you provide childcare during the seminar?
- This too, is optional but depending on the dynamics of your participants, could aid in attendance numbers. Often times, members of Teen Youth Groups or Ladies Guild are utilized for childcare options.
The following are optional hospitality suggestions:
- Name tags
- Coffee, juice, etc. during seminar
The Congregational Assistant Program typically schedules 4-5 seminars each year. If you are interested in hosting a seminar, be sure to get your request form submitted soon as the schedule fills up quickly.
The seminar schedule is found on the Upcoming Seminars and CAPSTONE page. This page also lists when applications are being accepted. This is based off of the number of seminars already held or scheduled for the current fiscal year.
If you have further questions about hosting a seminar, please contact the Administrative Assistant at (507) 354-8221 Ext 383, or click here to email our office.
