Rev. John T. Pless, assistant professor of pastoral ministry and missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., was elected co-president of the International Wilhelm Löhe Society July 26 in Neuendettelsau, Germany.
Pless succeeds Dr. Craig Nessan of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, who served in the post since 2006. As co-president, Pless will share leadership of the society with Dr. Dietrich Blaufuss of Erlangen, Germany. Prior to his election, Pless had served since 2006 as secretary for the organization’s English language section.
The International Wilhelm Löhe Society held its triennial conference July 22-26 in Neuendettelsau in observance of the bicentennial of the birth of Wilhelm Löhe, a German pastor whose work in liturgies, pastoral care, and missions influenced Lutheranism throughout the world. Löhe was instrumental in the founding of Concordia Theological Seminary in 1846.
Pless was one of several scholars from Australia, Germany, and the United States who presented papers at the conference, which drew participants from those countries, as well as Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, and South Korea.
The society’s next meeting is scheduled for July 26-30, 2011, on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.
Posted Aug. 14, 2008