Education
Preus attended Luther Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, graduating in 1945. He received a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Minnesota in 1951.
Lutheran pastor president professor
Preus attended Luther Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, graduating in 1945. He received a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Minnesota in 1951.
He was a major figure in the Seminex affair which resulted in a schism in the Missouri Synod. He was ordained a pastor and served several congregations in Minnesota. In 1958, he moved to Concordia Theological Seminary, then in Springfield, Illinois.
He became the president of the seminary in 1962.
In 1969, Preus was elected president of the Missouri Synod, upsetting the incumbent, Oliver Harms. Preus represented a theologically more conservative wing of the Missouri Synod, and his administration worked to reverse the policies of the more moderate administrations preceding his.
In 1973-1974, a battle over teachings at the Missouri Synod"s flagship seminary, Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, resulted in the suspension of the president of Concordia Seminary, John Tietjen, and a walkout of seminary professors and students commonly referred to as Seminex. This resulted in a schism in the Missouri Synod, with a small group leaving the synod to form the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches.
Preus was named President Emeritus of the Missouri Synod in 1992.
He translated many of Chemnitz"s works into English, and wrote a biography of Chemnitz, The Second Martin: The Life and Theology of Martin Chemnitz. Preus" father, J. A. O. Preus, was a politician who served as Minnesota"s eighth state auditor and 20th governor.