Biographies:
Preachers, Essayists & Chaplains
LCMS National Convention • July 28–Aug. 3, 2023 • Milwaukee
Biographies of the preachers for the 68th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod are below. Bios for the essayists and chaplains will also be available on this page when they are completed.
Preachers
Rev. Benjamin Ball
The Rev. Benjamin Ball has served as senior pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Hamel, Ill., since 2012. He was elected LCMS sixth vice-president (representing the Central Region) in 2019.
He and his wife, Serena, are the parents of Sophia (18), Alethea (15), Elijah (13), Irene (10) and Zoe (2).
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The Rev. Christopher Esget
The Rev. Christopher Esget is senior pastor of Immanuel Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Alexandria, Va., where he has served since 2001. He previously served Bethel Lutheran Church in Du Quoin, Ill. Esget is LCMS fifth vice-president (representing the East-Southeast Region). He is the author of (Dis)Ordered: Lies about Human Nature and the Truth That Sets Us Free (Concordia Publishing House, 2023).
He holds a bachelor’s degree in music from Berklee College, Boston, and Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
He and his wife, Kassie, have one son.
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The Rev. Joe Hoem
The Rev. Joe Hoem was born in southern India. Hoem is the oldest of nine adopted kids. He and his wife, Kristin, have been married for over 25 years and have four children. Hoem is a second-career pastor; prior to becoming a pastor, he ran a large car dealership in Sheboygan, Wis.
He received his Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. in 2012. Hoem currently serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., which is his second call. He is very involved in the community and serves as a member of the LCMS Board of Directors.
He is an avid Wisconsin Badger fan, but most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and also fishing when the opportunity arises.
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The Rev. Peter Lange
The Rev. Peter Lange has served as LCMS first vice-president since 2019. In addition to chairing the colloquy committees for pastoral and commissioned ministry, he serves on the Synod Board of Directors, Commission on Theology and Church Relations, Council of Presidents and Praesidium, as well as the Board of Regents for Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill., and Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. Previous service includes Kansas District president, senior pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Topeka, Kan., and associate pastor at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia, Mo.
He and his wife, Marcia, live in St. Louis. They have four married daughters and 10 grandchildren.
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The Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray
The Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray is LCMS third vice-president, representing the West-Southwest Region. He has served as a vice-president since 2010. Murray serves as senior pastor of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas, where he was called in 1996.
He writes a devotion every weekday called “Memorial Moments,” which is based on the church fathers. He is also editor of The Gates of Hell: Confessing Christ in a Hostile World (Concordia Publishing House, 2018) and has written numerous journal articles.
Born in Kitchener, Ontario, Murray graduated with a B.A. from Concordia University, Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1980 and earned a Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1983. He also holds a master’s degree from Loyola University and a doctorate from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Murray and his wife, Maryann, live in Houston. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.
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The Rev. Nabil S. Nour
The Rev. Nabil S. Nour is LCMS fourth vice-president, representing the Great Plains Region. He has served as an LCMS vice-president since 2013. He also serves as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, S.D.
Born in Nazareth, Israel, Nour moved with his family to Haifa when he was three and lived on the very slopes of Mount Carmel where Elijah once hid from Jezebel. Nour immigrated to the United States when he was 16 and eventually became a naturalized citizen. He also underwent adult instruction in the Lutheran faith.
Nour graduated in 1978 from Huron College, Huron, S.D., with a Bachelor of Science in criminology and sociology. He worked in the construction industry before entering Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 1989. Nour’s first parish was Redeemer Lutheran Church in Armour, S.D. He also served the South Dakota District as second and then first vice-president from 2003–2013.
Nour and his wife, Jean, live in Sioux Falls, S.D. They have three sons, three daughters-in-law, and 14 grandchildren.
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The Rev. Dr. Ely Prieto
The Rev. Dr. Ely Prieto is associate professor of practical theology, professor of urban and cross-cultural ministry, and associate dean for urban and cross-cultural ministry at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL).
Previous positions include serving as the executive director and urban mission developer at Lutheran Intercity Network Coalition – San Antonio, Texas; assistant pastor and director of world missions at Concordia Lutheran Church in San Antonio; senior pastor at Congregação São Paulo in Arroio do Meio, Brazil; and assistant pastor at Congregação São Paulo in Porto Alegre, Brazil. He also served as professor of practical theology at Seminário Concórdia in São Leopoldo, Brazil and professor of theology at the Lutheran University of Brazil (ULBRA) in Canoas, Brazil.
He received his Doctor of Ministry from CSL and a Master of Sacred Theology from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. He also holds bachelor’s degrees in theology from ULBRA and Seminário Concórdia.
Prieto and his wife, Miriam, have two grown children: Filipe and Natalia.
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The Rev. Dr. John C. Wille
The Rev. Dr. John C. Wille has served as LCMS South Wisconsin District (SWD) president since 2006. He is the chairman of the Council of Presidents Clergy Call and Roster Committee. He also serves on the Board of Regents for Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis., and for Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Wille has served congregations in Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Prior to becoming SWD president, he served as the church planter and founding pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Tomah, Wis., where he served for 16 years. As SWD president, he is responsible for ecclesiastical oversight of 202 congregations and multiple elementary schools and high schools, along with the ordained and commissioned church workers in the SWD.
Wille and his wife, Lynette, have been married for 45 years. They have three daughters and seven grandchildren.
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The Rev. Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr.
The Rev. Dr. John C. Wohlrabe Jr. is LCMS second vice-president, representing the Great Lakes Region, and a member of the Praesidium. Wohlrabe has served as a vice-president since 2007. Wohlrabe also serves as assistant pastor at Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Whitefish Bay, Wis.; as editor-in-chief for the Concordia Historical Institute (CHI) Quarterly; as president of the CHI Board of Governors; and as an adjunct instructor at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis.
Previously, Wohlrabe was regional chaplain for Naval District Washington. After 22 years as an active-duty U.S. Navy chaplain, he retired with the rank of captain in May 2009. Wohlrabe received a Master of Divinity in 1981, a Master of Sacred Theology in 1982 and a Doctor of Theology in 1987, all from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL). In 2021, CSL faculty awarded him a Doctor of Divinity.
Wohlrabe and his wife, Julie, live in St. Francis, Wis. They have one daughter and two sons.
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