Wedding Bells Are Breaking Up That Old Gang of Mine

ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 8, 2010

ELCA Wartburg Seminary President Duane Larson Resigns Effective July 1
10-110-WS*/JB

DUBUQUE, Iowa (ELCA) -- The board of directors of Wartburg Theological Seminary here accepted the resignation of the Rev. Duane H. Larson, the seminary's president, effective July 1, the seminary announced in an April 6 news release.

Wartburg is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Larson has served as president of Wartburg Seminary since 1999.

"God is calling me to do something new in my pastoral and teaching vocation, alongside the welcome new personal life I will begin with my wedding this spring. It will be good and right for me to be able to give full attention to the gift of marriage, as well as to enjoy some sabbatical, before moving to whatever God has in mind for the next period of my professional ministry," said Larson.

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GJ - This dude is a bit old to be getting married. His bio is strangely silent on marriage and family. I suspected that marriage was not something new to him and found this:

"ELCA NEWS SERVICE

May 17, 1999

DUANE LARSON NAMED PRESIDENT OF WARTBURG THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
99-130-FI

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Duane H. Larson, 46, was named to become president of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, on July 15. Wartburg is one of eight seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

The board of Wartburg Seminary announced May 4 that Larson will succeed the Rev. Roger W. Fjeld, who is expected to retire on July 14, the day after his 66th birthday. Fjeld was inaugurated the seminary's 11th president in February 1984. "'We knew that finding an individual to succeed this leader in theological education would be no simple task," said Dr. Janet S. Philipp, the seminary's board chair.

"We were blessed with an excellent field of potential candidates, a strong testament to Wartburg Seminary's heritage and mission," said Dr. Lynn C. Smith, a board member and chair of the presidential search committee. "Dr. Larson has the vision, knowledge, skills and strong spiritual foundation to lead Wartburg Seminary into the 21st century."

Larson has been a professor of systematic theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pa., since 1993. A graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash., he earned a master's of divinity degree from Luther Northwestern Seminary (now Luther Seminary), St. Paul, Minn., and a doctorate from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, Calif.

Ordained in 1979, Larson served as pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, San Diego, Christ the Victor Lutheran Church, Fairfax, and St. Andrew Lutheran Church, San Mateo, all in California. He and his wife, Kathy Lane Larson, are the parents of two adult sons.

Wartburg Seminary was founded in 1854. Currently 2,200 graduates serve across the United States and in 40 foreign countries."

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So he has been there 10 years and has a few months to get out of Dodge, even though he is jobless at the moment. I think some details are missing. I enjoy comparing the gushy introductory news releases with the terse retirement announcements.