David Walter Preus (May 28, 1922 – July 23, 2021) was an American

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

minister. He served as the last president/presiding bishop of the

American Lutheran Church The American Lutheran Church (ALC) was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States and Canada that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters were in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, The ALC designated Augsburg ...

(ALC) from 1973 until that body merged into the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

(ELCA) in 1988.

Birth and early life

Preus was born on May 28, 1922, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. He grew up in

Decorah, Iowa Decorah is the largest city in and county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,587 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of Iowa ...

, where his father was a pastor and professor at Luther College. His mother was a musician. He attended college at Luther College, graduating in 1943. After college he enlisted in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

and served in the U.S. Army Signal Intelligence until 1946. He learned Japanese during duty in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. After his military service, Preus enrolled in the

University of Minnesota Law School The University of Minnesota Law School is the law school of the University of Minnesota, a public university in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school confers four law degrees: a Juris Doctor (J.D.), a Master of Laws (LL.M.), a Master of Science in Pa ...

for a year. He then enrolled in

Luther Theological Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

, and was ordained in 1951.

Career

Preus served as a pastor for 25 years at various congregations. His first pastorate was in

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in and the county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 23,377 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in South Dakota, fo ...

, where he married Ann Margaret Overgaard Madsen in 1951. He later served a congregation in

Vermillion, South Dakota Vermillion (; "The Place Where Vermilion is Obtained") is a city and the county seat of Clay County. It is in the southeastern corner of South Dakota, United States, and is the state's 12th-most populous city. According to the 2020 census, the ...

, and at University Lutheran Church of Hope in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. During the 1960s, he served on the Minneapolis School Board, including two years as its chairman. He also served on the Minneapolis City Planning Commission, and other civic organizations. In 1968, Preus was elected as vice-president of the ALC, and in 1973, he was elected president (later renamed to presiding bishop). Discussions during his tenure led to the merger of the ALC, the

Lutheran Church in America The Lutheran Church in America (LCA) was an American and Canadian Lutheran church body that existed from 1962 to 1987. It was headquartered in New York City and its publishing house was Fortress Press. The LCA's immigrant heritage came mostly fr ...

, and the

Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) was a U.S. church body that existed from 1976 through the end of 1987. The AELC formed when approximately 250 dissident congregations withdrew from the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS ...

to form the ELCA on January 1, 1988. While ALC president, he also served as vice president of the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; ) is a global Communion (religion), communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of L ...

and as a member of the Central Committee of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

. During much of the time that Preus was presiding bishop of the ALC, his cousin J. A. O. Preus II was the president of the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

. In 1988, Preus was appointed a distinguished visiting professor at Luther Seminary and director of its Global Mission Institute. After retiring from those positions in 1994, he continued to preach and write. From 1994 to 1996 he served as senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moo ...

Death

Preus died on July 23, 2021, in Minneapolis. His funeral and interment service took place on August 1, 2021, at Trinity Lutheran Church in

Laporte, Minnesota Laporte ( ) is a city in Hubbard County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 134 at the 2020 census. History The city of Laporte was founded in 1901 and incorporated as a city in 1908. The city had a period of prosperity where it h ...

Works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preus, David W. 1922 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American clergy Luther College (Iowa) alumni Luther Seminary alumni People from Madison, Wisconsin Presiding bishops United States Army personnel of World War II

Birth and early life

Career

Death

Works

See also

References