Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus II (January 8, 1920 – August 13, 1994) was an American Lutheran pastor, professor, author, seminary president and church denominational president. He served as the eighth president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) from 1969 to 1981. He was a major figure in the "Seminex" theological/political controversy, which resulted in a schism in the LCMS during the early 1970s.

Overview

Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus II (January 8, 1920 – August 13, 1994) was an American Lutheran pastor, professor, author, seminary president and church denominational president. He served as the eighth president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) from 1969 to 1981. He was a major figure in the "Seminex" theological/political controversy, which resulted in a schism in the LCMS during the early 1970s. Career Preus was born on January 8, 1920, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He attended Luther Theological Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, graduating in 1945. While in school he married Delpha Mae Holleque on June 12, 1943. He was ordained a pastor and served several congregations in Minnesota. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1951. In 1958, he moved to Concordia Theological Seminary, then in Springfield, Illinois, as a professor. He became the president of the seminary in 1962. In 1969, Preus was elected president of the LCMS, upsetting the incumbent, Oliver R. Harms. Preus represented a theologically more conservative wing of the LCMS, and his administration worked to reverse the policies of the more moderate administration preceding his.

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