Bernhard William Lutz

1. 5/28/1934 Denison, Iowa USA

 

Spouse/Family

            Wife: Roberta Frances (nee Lutz), b. 7/3/1934 Davenport, Iowa USA; m. 6/23/1956

Children: Lori Louise (Johnson); Robert Karl; David William; Rebecca Anne (Jarvis)

 

Dates of Service Field Call Assignment

1956-59 St. Martini Lutheran Church Teacher

Milwaukee, WI

1959-61 St. Timothy Lutheran Church Teacher

Chicago, IL

1961-64 Concordia Lutheran College Professor

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

1964-67 Concordia Seminary, Springfield, IL Student

1967-75 Papua New Guinea Evangelistic Missionary

1975-91 USA Parish Pastor

1991-96 Nigeria Professor

2000-04 Beirut, Lebanon; Middle East Evangelist

2004-present West Mission Lutheran Fellowship Pastor

2008-present Concordia Seminary, Sudan Professor

 

Biographical Summary 

Pastor Bernhard (Bernie) Lutz grew up in northern Minnesota. He attended Concordia Academy and College, St. Paul, MN, and completed his college work at Concordia College, River Forest, Illinois with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. He earned the B.D. and M.Div. degrees from Concordia Seminary, Springfield, and the D.Min. from Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.  God has used Pastor Bernie as a teacher, coach, athletic director, professor, pastor and most of all, as a missionary to tell the Good News about Jesus!

 

Bernie and Roberta (formerly Lutz) were joined in marriage in June of 1956, and the Lord has blessed their marriage with four children, eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  All of their children live in Minnesota. Together they have served the Lord on three continents and in more than five countries.  They have served in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Nigeria, Lebanon, Ghana, Sudan, Canada and the USA.

 

After serving as a teacher at two Lutheran churches in the Midwest, Bernie was called to serve as Instructor at Concordia College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He resigned that position to enter Concordia Seminary, Springfield, IL in 1964. Bernie was called by the Board for Missions to serve as an evangelistic missionary in Papua New Guinea. He served for eight years, resigning from the BFMS in 1975.  Besides evangelistic work, Bernie was involved in the training and equipping of those who were called into ministry in PNG.  He became involved in helping to feed thousands of hungry Enga during the 1972 famine. During this crisis he developed a successful agricultural program to feed those who were hungry with Irish potatoes.

 

The Lutzes left Papua New Guinea and the BFMS in 1975 for family reasons.  One child was in the USA, one in Australia and two were away from the family in PNG.  Pastor Bernie accepted a call into the parish ministry in the Minnesota South District of the LCMS in 1976.

 

He served in the parish ministry until 1996, when the BFMS called Bernie to serve as Professor at Jonathan Ekong Memorial Lutheran Seminary at Obot Idim, Nigeria.  While serving in Nigeria, he also directed the Theological Education by Extension (TEE) program for the Lutheran Church of Nigeria (LCN), founded and began a popular radio project for the LCN, conducted 48 evangelism crusades, served as Senior Pastor at Itiam Ekot Ebia and served as manager of the ILLL Radio Studio of Obit Idim.  He completed the five-year service and was called back into the parish ministry in 1997.

 

In 2000, Dr. Lutz accepted a four-year commitment offered by the International Lutheran Hour Ministries to serve in Beirut, Lebanon.  Bernie served as an evangelistic missionary reaching out to find qualified men to be trained and equipped for the Holy Ministry. While in Lebanon, Bernie conducted evangelical outreach to Muslims, visited Palestinian Camps and conducted Bible studies in Hamra, a downtown Beirut banking area. Many people were touched by the Gospel, one man in particular, Hicham Chehab, once a destroyer of the faith, came to know and believe in Christ, and will graduate from Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne in June 2009.

 

The Lutzes returned to the United States in 2004, to accept the pastoral duties for the West Mission Lutheran Fellowship, a Winter Texan ministry.  The WMLF is a unique Winter Texan ministry where 500 to 600 seniors gather for worship in three RV parks.

 

In 2008, the Lutheran Heritage Foundation asked Pastor Bernie to go abroad again, this time to Yambio, South Sudan.  He served for ten weeks as professor and also helped develop a curriculum for the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan.

 

He serves as a regional director for POBLO, International of Dearborn, MI and raises funds for the LUTHERAN HERITAGE FOUNDATION.  Bernie and Roberta, when home,  live in the Boundary Water Canoe Area of Northern Minnesota.

 

Nota Bene

Bernie Lutz was elected to the Synod’s Board for Mission Services three times.  He was presented the Papua New Guinea Independence Medal by the PNG government for helping the country to become an independent nation.  He has worked with the International Lutheran Laymen’s League and Lutheran Women’s Missionary League on several levels.  In May of 1988, Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN presented the Servis Ecclesiae Christi award to Rev. Lutz for effective ministry among God’s people in the world. The faculty of Concordia Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN conferred the Doctor of Divinity degree upon Pastor Lutz in May of 2007, for faithful service on the mission field and in parish ministry at home.

 

Dr. Lutz is author of two books: Guidelines for Sharing Your Faith with Your Muslim Friend and The Role and Function of Women in the Church.

 

Phase 2 Information

 

Biggest missiological issue faced?

Bernie writes: “Several interesting missiological issues to be shared:

 

“The Seminex issue in PNG when some of the Papua New Guinea missionaries introduced a different theology than one the WLC had received through Hintze and Burce (1948). How to deal with these personnel and at the same time keep the mission growing through the indigenous church. This thorn is still sticking sharply in the GLC in 2009.

 

“Developing an adult education system for Papua New Guinea in 1967.  Wrote a book: Self Government.

 

“Working out a Theological Education by Extension (TEE) program for the Lutheran Church of Nigeria on a national basis.

 

“In Lebanon, sharing the Gospel with Muslims and recruiting men for ministry.

 

“Sudan, setting forth a four-year seminary curriculum in 2008.”

 

Most significant contribution during missionary service?

The PNG government presented the Independence Medal to Dr. Lutz for helping the nation to become an independent nation in 1976.  The recipients were chosen by the local people of the Enga District.

 

Connection to today’s mission?

Dr. Lutz remains active in working with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sudan.  He preaches and teaches on “Reaching the Lost with the Word of Hope.”

 

Mission work continues in PNG, Nigeria, and Sudan , and all three countries have national Lutheran churches that relate to the LCMS.

 

Lessons Learned

• Learn to listen carefully.
• Fight for the Gospel message to be proclaimed.
• Use men and women for world mission.

 

Best Practices 

• Team work, at home and overseas, with mission and the partner church..
• Be flexible.
• Avoid legalistic systems and implement the Gospel.
• Use the proper balance of the Law and the Gospel.

 

Phase 3 Information

 

Inspiration for entering foreign missions?

For the Lutzes, inspiration was “The Gospel …God’s grace motivates for mission.”

 

Quotation by/about or brief story:

Pastor Bernie and Roberta, as so many people of the Way do, connect personally with the Mission thrust from Acts: “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!!”