Matthew C. Harrison | |
|---|---|
| President | |
 Harrison in 2010 | |
| Church | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod |
| Elected | July 13, 2010 |
| Installed | September 11, 2010 |
| Predecessor | Gerald B. Kieschnick |
| Previous posts | Executive Director, LCMS World Relief/Human Care |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1991 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1962-03-14)March 14, 1962 (age 63) |
| Spouse | Kathy Harrison ('nee Schimm) |
| Children | Two sons |
| Alma mater | Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (M.S.T., 1991), (M.Div., 1989) Morningside College,Sioux City (1984) |
Matthew Carl Harrison (born March 14, 1962) is the 13th and current president of theLutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). As president, he is the chief ecclesiastical supervisor of the Synod and is responsible for the national program ministries of the LCMS, including the Office of International Mission, which calls and employs some 150 missionaries globally.[1] He was first elected to the presidency on July 13, 2010, at the synod's 64th regular convention in Houston, Texas. Harrison officially took office on September 1, 2010, and was formally installed in a service on September 11, 2010, atConcordia Seminary inSt. Louis.[2] He was elected by a 54–45% margin on the first ballot.[3] He was elected to a second three-year term following a first ballot victory in the church body's first online presidential election in July 2013 .[4] He was elected to a third three-year term in June 2016, having received 56.96 percent of the vote on the first ballot.[5] In June 2019, Harrison was elected to a fourth three-year term with 51.76 percent of the vote on the first ballot.[6] In June 2023, he was elected to a fifth term with 52.32% of the first ballot vote. He is the first LCMS president elected to a fifth term since 1947.[7]
Harrison had previously served as the Executive Director of the Department of LCMS World Relief and Human Care, and as founding president of the LCMS Housing Corporation (also known as Lutheran Housing Support).
Harrison was born inSioux City, Iowa, on March 14, 1962. He was baptized at Bethel Lutheran Church inLawton, Iowa, and grew up in Sioux City, where his family belonged to Redeemer Lutheran Church. He graduated fromSioux City East High School in 1980 andMorningside College in 1987.[8] Harrison then attendedConcordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, from which he earned aMaster of Divinity in 1989 and aMaster of Sacred Theology degree in 1991.[8][9] In 2011, he received honorary doctorates fromConcordia Theological Seminary and fromConcordia University Ann Arbor in Michigan.[10]
Harrison's first parish was at St. Peter's Lutheran Church inWestgate, Iowa, where he served from 1991 to 1995.[11][12]
Harrison served as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church ofFort Wayne, Indiana, from 1995 to 2001.[12] During his ministry at Zion, the urban decay around the church moved him to join with St. Peter Catholic Church and community leaders to revitalize the Hanna-Creighton neighborhood. This joint effort recruited investors to clear many dilapidated homes, restore others, and build new ones in the ten block area. The effort was a success and led to the construction of a new branch of theAllen County Public Library and an office for the Fort Wayne Urban League in the neighborhood. This initiative continues in the City of Fort Wayne's Renaissance Pointe project.[13][14]
In Harrison's role as head of LCMS World Relief beginning in 2001, he made several trips to work with those in need among the slums ofKibera,Kenya, and in otherEast African countries. He worked in Asia following the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and inLouisiana in 2005 followingHurricane Katrina. He also spent several months in early 2010 coordinating LCMS aid inHaiti following the2010 Haiti earthquake.
On February 16, 2012, Harrisontestified in front of theUnited States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in opposition tocontraceptive mandates imposed uponparachurch organizations by thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[15]
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod 2010–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
