“Upon This Rock: Repent, Confess, Rejoice”

Yesterday it was my honor and privilege to deliver an essay to the 66th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod meeting in Milwaukee. A number of folks have asked if I might post it, a very humbling matter. And so, knowing all of the document's limitations, I place it here for those who might find some modest value in it.

LCMS Presidential Elections—Updated

The announcement today of the re-election of the Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison to a third term as president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (http://blogs.lcms.org/2016/harrison-re-elected) led me back to a post I made in July 2013. In that post I tracked the results of LCMS presidential elections over the course of Missouri's "modern" history, 1973 to present (I use 1973 as the date, because in that year the LCMS changed its nomination procedure).  With the disclaimer that this is a first run through and I need to do some further fact checking, here are the results showing the top two vote getters.

1973 - New Orleans

1^st ballot, JAO Preus 606, WIliam Kohn 340. 1,055 total votes.  57.44%

 

1975 - Anaheim 

No presidential election

 

1977 - Dallas

2^nd ballot, JAO Preus 596, Charles Mueller 330.  1,083 total votes.  55.03%

1979 - Saint Louis

No presidential election

 

1981 - Saint Louis

4^th ballot, Ralph Bohlmann 722, Charles Mueller 338.  1,110 total votes.  65.04%

1983 - Saint Louis

1^st ballot, Ralph Bohlmann 844, Lloyd Behnken 95.  1,079 votes.  78.22%

1986 - Indianapolis

1^st ballot, Ralph Bohlmann 576, Robert Sauer 447.  1,029 total votes. 55.97%

1989 - Wichita

1^st ballot, Ralph Bohlmann 589, Robert Sauer 433.  1,124 total votes.  52.40%

1992 - Pittsburgh

4^th ballot, Alvin Barry 580, Ralph Bohlmann 568.  1,148 total votes.  50.52%

1995 - Saint Louis

1^st ballot, Alvin Barry 754, Richard Kapfer 290.  1,162 total votes. 64.88%

1998 - Saint Louis

1^st ballot, Alvin Barry 657, Glen O’Shoney 343.  1,161 total votes.  56.58%

2001 - Saint Louis

4^th ballot, Gerald Kieschnick 600, Dean Wenthe 582.  1,182 total votes.  50.76%

2004 - Saint Louis

1^st ballot, Gerald Kieschnick 653, Daniel Preus 391.  1,237 total votes.  52.78%

2007 - Houston

1^st ballot, Gerald Kieschnick 644, John Wohlrabe 514.  1,231 total votes.  52.31%

2010 - Houston

1^st ballot, Matthew Harrison 643, Gerald Kieschnick 527.  1,170 total votes.  54.95%

2013 - Electronic balloting (Saint Louis)

1^st ballot, Matthew Harrison 4,262, David Maier 1,906.  6,432 total votes.  66.26%

2016 - Electronic balloting (Milwaukee)

1^st ballot, Matthew Harrision 3,507, Dale Meyer 2,257. 6,157 total votes. 56.96%