By Kevin Armbrust
MILWAUKEE — On Sunday, July 30, delegates of the 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) voted to elect the first vice-president and regional vice-presidents for the upcoming triennium. Every incumbent vice-president was re-elected to serve.
Lange re-elected first vice-president
The Rev. Peter K. Lange was re-elected first vice-president.
With 1,014 delegates casting votes, Lange received 578 votes (or 58.62%) on the first ballot. Lange has served as LCMS first vice-president since 2019.
Also on the ballot were the Rev. Dr. Allan R. Buss, the Rev. Christopher S. Esget, the Rev. Dr. Jamison J. Hardy and the Rev. Richard L. Snow.
Regional vice-presidents
Delegates also elected five ordained ministers as the Synod’s regional vice-presidents on Sunday afternoon. A majority vote is required for election of each regional vice-president.
Central Region: The Rev. Benjamin T. Ball of Worden, Ill., was re-elected on the second ballot with 554 votes (or 55.4% of the vote). Ball has served as sixth vice-president of the Synod since 2019.
East-Southeast Region: The Rev. Christopher S. Esget of Alexandria, Va., was re-elected on the first ballot with 506 votes (or 50.8%). Esget has served as a vice-president of the Synod since 2015.
Great Lakes Region: The Rev. Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr. of St. Francis, Wis., was re-elected on the third ballot with 585 votes (or 58.62%). Wohlrabe previously served three terms as second vice-president of the Synod and one as third vice-president.
Great Plains Region: The Rev. Nabil S. Nour of Sioux Falls, S.D., was re-elected on the second ballot with 592 votes (or 59.14%). Nour previously served one term as third vice-president of the Synod, one term as the fourth vice-president and one term as fifth vice-president.
West-Southwest Region: The Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray of Houston was re-elected on the first ballot with 505 votes (or 50.75%). Murray previously served one term as second vice-president of the Synod, one term as third vice-president, one term as fourth vice-president and one term as fifth vice-president.
Ranking of regional vice-presidents
Once elected, the regional vice-presidents were then assigned a rank in the Synod Praesidium through a series of separate ballots. A majority vote is required for rankings two through five, and the remaining candidate is named sixth vice-president.
- The Rev. Benjamin T. Ball was named second vice-president, having received 498 votes on the fourth ballot (or 50.82%).
- The Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray was re-elected third vice-president with 605 votes (or 61.8%) on the second ballot.
- The Rev. Nabil S. Nour was re-elected fourth vice-president with 622 votes (or 63.73%) on the second ballot.
- The Rev. Christopher S. Esget was re-elected fifth vice-president with 535 votes (or 54.54%) on the first ballot.
- The Rev. Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr. was unanimously declared sixth vice-president.
As of 2:11 p.m. on Sunday, 1,014 voting delegates were registered and present.
Dr. Kevin Armbrust is director of the Graduate School and special assistant to the president at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Posted July 30, 2023
2023 LCMS Convention
Under the theme “We Preach Christ Crucified,” the 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod met July 28–Aug. 3, 2023, at the Baird Center in Milwaukee.
There are several ways to get convention news, including:
Web
• lcms.org/convention/national
Video
• lcms.org/convention/national/livestream
Social media
Audio
• kfuo.org
