ELCA Seminary President William Lesher to Retire in 1997

LESHER TO RETIRE IN 1997

The Rev. William E. Lesher plans to retire on June 30, 1997, as
president of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, a
position he has held since 1978.  He submitted his resignation to
the LSTC board in May to give the board time to conduct a
thorough search for his successor.  The board unanimously accept
Lesher's resignation with "profound gratitude."  Dr. Carol
Gilbertson, St. Paul, Minn., who chairs the search committee,
said she hopes a new president will be in place in July 1997.
During his tenure as president Lesher was instrumental in
establishing the Association of Chicago Theological Schools
(ACTS), one of the largest and most effective of the consortia of
seminaries in North America; the Chicago Center for Religion and
Science; the Chicago Center for Global Ministries in cooperation
with Catholic Theological Union and McCormick Theological
Seminary; and the  "Covenant Cluster" with Trinity Lutheran
Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and Wartburg Theological Seminary in
Dubuque, Iowa.  This cluster is a major building block in an
interdependent network for theological education in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  Even after his
retirement Lesher plans to continue to pursue interests in global
mission and in the project "Common Good" resulting from a study
by the Ford Foundation.

For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service,
(312) 380-2958 or AHAFFTEN@ELCA.ORG; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir.,
(312) 380-2955 or FRANKI@ELCA.ORG; Melissa Ramirez, Assist. Dir.,
(312) 380-2956 or MRAMIREZ@ELCA.ORG