FORT WAYNE, January 17, 2024—Nominations for president of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), closed December 31, 2023. Forty-two individuals were nominated for the office by congregations of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), the CTSFW Board of Regents, and the CTSFW faculty, per Synod bylaws. The following nineteen men have allowed their names to stand for consideration:
Rev. Dr. Geoffrey R. Boyle
Rev. Dr. Jon S. Bruss
Rev. Dr. Albert B. Collver III
Rev. Dr. Burnell F. Eckardt Jr.
Rev. Dr. Charles A. Gieschen
Rev. Dr. Gifford A. Grobien
Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy
Rev. Dr. Chad D. Kendall
Rev. Dr. Adam C. Koontz
Rev. Dr. Martin R. Noland
Rev. Dr. Todd A. Peperkorn
Rev. Dr. Paul A. Philp
Rev. Dr. David R. Preus
Rev. Dr. Jeffrey H. Pulse
Rev. Dr. Geoffrey L. Robinson
Rev. Dr. Gregory N. Todd
Rev. Charles E. Varsogea
Rev. Matthew J. Wietfeldt
Rev. Dr. Lucas V. Woodford
In the first phase of the search, prior to the nomination deadline, the Presidential Search Committee conducted surveys and personal interviews to assist them in drafting a report for the four presidential electors on the needs of the seminary, the requirements of the Synod, and the required and desired qualifications of the nominees.
In the next phase of the search, the Presidential Search Committee will evaluate each of the candidates and will recommend at least five candidates from the list of nominees to the four electors. The electors are the members of the CTSFW Board of Regents as a group with one vote (the district president on the board not voting with the board); the district president elected to the board with a distinct vote; the chair of the LCMS Board of Directors with one vote; and the President of the Synod with one vote. The election of the president, which requires three of the four elector votes, is scheduled for May 18, 2024.
The new president will succeed Rev. Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., who will retire from the presidency at the end of the 2023–2024 academic year and return full-time to his role as CTSFW professor of historical theology.
Anyone wishing to offer comments about any of the nominees or ask questions about the search may do so by contacting the search committee secretary, Rev. William Cwirla, at presidentialsearch@ctsfw.edu.
For updates on the presidential search, visit ctsfw.edu/presidential-search or navigate to the "About" page at ctsfw.edu.
About Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
Founded in 1846, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, forms servants of Jesus Christ in a vibrant, Christ-centered theological community that engages and resources the church and the world, domestically and internationally, with distinctively Lutheran teaching, practice, and worship. To learn more, visit ctsfw.edu.
