Dr. Walter Arthur Maier

Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1930-1950

Dr. Walter A. Maier became the first speaker of “The Lutheran Hour” in 1930. He had been teaching Old Testament Interpretation at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis for eight years when he took a leave of absence to be full-time Lutheran Hour speaker. Maier was dedicated to his work, having decided to become a pastor after hearing a mission sermon at the age of twelve. He attended undergraduate school at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York, washing dishes and selling typewriters to pay expenses.

When Maier passed away suddenly, just after midnight on January 11, 1950, tributes poured in from around the globe. Reverend Billy Graham sent a telegram: “We join with friends who mourn the passing of Dr. Walter A. Maier, whose Lutheran Hour was a constant benediction and source of strength.”

Dr. William Arndt, a close associate of Dr. Maier, wrote: “It was his continual aim to preach the great truths of the Scriptures: Law and Gospel, sin and grace, Christ and His redemption. Throughout the English-speaking world he was considered one of the chief spokesmen of conservative Christianity. His memory will be cherished by millions of people.”

During the twenty years that Maier served as speaker for “The Lutheran Hour,” the United States – and the world – went through remarkable upheaval. The Great Depression caused the temporary suspension of “The Lutheran Hour” broadcast, World War II and the devastation of the atomic bomb rocked the world. Maier’s words speak to the particular events of the world in which he lived, but he admonished his listeners with the Law of God, and comforted them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in a tone that still rings true at the beginning of the 21st century.

Dr. Lawrence Acker

Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1950-1951

Dr. Lawrence Acker’s father died when Lawrence was only two years old. Although his mother was incapacitated by arthritis for the last fifteen years of her life, she urged her son to remain in school and become a pastor, rather than quit school and work to support her. Upon graduation from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis in 1916, Acker became pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Moberly, Missouri. He later served as a military chaplain, then as pastor of First Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. The Sunday worship service at First Lutheran Church was broadcast on local radio to a responsive public audience.

Lawrence Acker was pastoral adviser of the Lutheran Laymen’s League for fourteen years, 1941-1955. After Dr. Maier’s death, he took a nine-month leave of absence from First Lutheran Church to serve as interim Lutheran Hour speaker while a permanent speaker was sought. From October, 1950 to June, 1951, Acker delivered his message on two separate live radio broadcasts each Sunday.

Acker’s style was personal and direct, frequently calling on the listener to consider God’s love expressed in Jesus Christ, and inviting the listener to faith in Him.

Dr. Andrew Melendez

Spanish Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1941-1972

Dr. Andrew Melendez, a native of Puerto Rico, brought the Gospel to the Spanish speaking world through The Lutheran Hour. He was named Spanish Lutheran Hour speaker in 1941, and for the succeeding thirty-one years his voice was heard throughout Latin America, Spain, and cities in the United States with Spanish-language radio stations. Melendez was instrumental in launching the Spanish magazine Noticiero Luterano (Lutheran Witness), and was editor of Spanish literature for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

Melendez’ messages, delivered on the Spanish Lutheran Hour, urged its listeners to be sensitive to God’s mission. Dr. Melendez spoke in a different language to people of a different culture, but the call of Christ remains the same.

Dr. Oswald C. J. Hoffmann

Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1955-1988

On September 25, 1955, Dr. Oswald Hoffmann initiated the 23rd season as Lutheran Hour speaker. He served in that position for thirty-three years, broadcasting his last Lutheran Hour program from mainland China on Christmas Day, 1988.

Before beginning his service as speaker of “The Lutheran Hour,” Dr. Hoffmann served as a pastor, as a college professor, and as director of public relations for the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Hoffmann was chairman of the translations committee of the American Bible Society, and in 1977 he was elected president of the United Bible Societies.

Recognized as one of the outstanding personalities of the Protestant world, he brought to the position a wealth of scholarship, ability, and experience. His autobiography, What Is There to Say But Amen? was published in 1996.

Dr. Hoffmann’s years as speaker intersected with the Civil Rights movement, the war in Vietnam, and the Watergate scandal. His words on despair, guilt, death, forgiveness, and the hope of the resurrection seemed to have been addressed to the mood of the nation, which now, more than forty-five years later, still ring true. They still point us to the cross of Christ and His resurrection. They still call us to faith in Christ alone.

Reverend Wallace Schulz

Associate Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1977-2002

The Rev. Wallace Schulz served as associate Lutheran Hour speaker from 1977 to 2002. Born and raised in Parkston, South Dakota, he attended Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska, and Concordia Seminary in Springfield, Illinois.

Before becoming associate speaker for The Lutheran Hour, Schulz served on the faculty of Concordia College in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was assistant pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa, and was on the staff of Concordia College, River Forest, Illinois. Schulz has participated in several World Congresses on Evangelism, and in 1986 he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his distinguished service to humanity.

Dr. Oswald C. J. Hoffmann

Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1955-1988

On September 25, 1955, Dr. Oswald Hoffmann initiated the 23rd season as Lutheran Hour speaker. He served in that position for thirty-three years, broadcasting his last Lutheran Hour program from mainland China on Christmas Day, 1988.

Before beginning his service as speaker of “The Lutheran Hour,” Dr. Hoffmann served as a pastor, as a college professor, and as director of public relations for the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Hoffmann was chairman of the translations committee of the American Bible Society, and in 1977 he was elected president of the United Bible Societies.

Recognized as one of the outstanding personalities of the Protestant world, he brought to the position a wealth of scholarship, ability, and experience. His autobiography, What Is There to Say But Amen? was published in 1996.

Dr. Hoffmann’s years as speaker intersected with the Civil Rights movement, the war in Vietnam, and the Watergate scandal. His words on despair, guilt, death, forgiveness, and the hope of the resurrection seemed to have been addressed to the mood of the nation, which now, more than forty-five years later, still ring true. They still point us to the cross of Christ and His resurrection. They still call us to faith in Christ alone.

The Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer

Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Interim Speaker, 2017-2018

Dr. Dale A. Meyer is the tenth president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., a position he has held since 2005. He also serves as a professor of practical theology. He previously occupied the Seminary’s Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Chair in Homiletics and Literature 2001-2005. He also served as the interim president, 2004-2005.

He earned a master’s degree (1974) and a doctorate (1986) in classical languages from Washington University in St. Louis. He earned a Master of Divinity degree (1973) from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He completed his bachelor’s degree (1969) at Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind. He is also the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity (1993) from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Meyer has served a number of congregations throughout his pastoral ministry. Also, he served as a guest instructor at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, 1979-1981, as an assistant professor teaching classes in New Testament and homiletics, and as the director of Resident Field Education, 1981-1984.

Meyer was a speaker on The Lutheran Hour radio program, 1989-2001. Through 2003, he was the host of the television show On Main Street.

Meyer has served The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the church at-large over the years in several capacities. He served as third vice-president of the LCMS, 1995-1998. He was a charter board member of the Association of Lutheran Older Adults (ALOA), has served as an honorary director of God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society and as a member of the Standing Committee on Pastoral Ministry for the LCMS. He was pastoral adviser for the Southern Illinois District of the International Lutheran Laymen’s League and has served as first vice-president, second vice-president, secretary and circuit counselor of the Southern Illinois District of the LCMS. He served on the Board of Trustees of American Bible Society, 2001-2013.

Meyer has written numerous sermons and columns for Lutheran Hour Ministries, including the booklets “Coping with Cancer” and “Real Men.” He co-authored The Crosses of Lent, in-depth Bible studies of Matthew and Prophecy in the LifeLight series and authored “The Place of the Sermon in the Order of Service” in Liturgical Preaching for Concordia Publishing House. He has contributed to Issues in Christian Education and is a regular contributor to the Seminary’s Concordia Journal. His articles include “A Church Caught in the Middle,” “An Urban Seminary,” and “Why Go to Church?”

In 2014 Meyer wrote Timely Reflections: A Minute a Day with Dale Meyer, a compilation of 365 daily devotions from his long-running online series, The Meyer Minute. His newest book, Word Alive! 52 Selected Sermons, is due to be released in late November 2017 and features sermons from throughout the span of his 40+ years in ministry.

He resides in St. Louis with his wife Diane. They have two grown daughters: Elizabeth (Darren) Pittman and Catharine (Charles) Bailey, and five grandsons: Christian, Connor, and Nicholas Pittman and Andrew and Jacob Bailey.

Dr. Armin C. Oldsen

Lutheran Hour Speaker, 1951-1953

Dr. Armin Oldsen was born the son of a pastor in Addison, Illinois. He graduated from Concordia College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was voted best all-around athlete, in 1930. After graduation from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, he served as assistant pastor of St. Paul’s in Lakewood, Ohio. Later he moved to Valparaiso, Indiana, where he was pastor of Immanuel, taught religion and sociology at Valparaiso University, and counseled university students.

Oldsen was appointed as Lutheran Hour speaker in 1951. Although he resigned just two years later for health reasons, Oldsen preached the Gospel message with boldness and clarity during his brief tenure.

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth R. Klaus

Lutheran Hour^® Speaker, 2002-2010

The Rev. Kenneth R. Klaus served as Speaker of The Lutheran Hour® from 2002 until his retirement from the position at the end of 2010. He returned to the program as interim Speaker in 2017 and 2018. In addition to his weekly sermons on the broadcast, Pastor Klaus initiated the popular Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries that provided readers and listeners with the holiness of God in the here and now.

A prolific writer, Pastor Klaus published many works, including volumes one and two of Stories from The Lutheran Hour: A Changeless Christ in a Changing World and two prayer books (one for use by people in the military and a companion book for loved ones at home). He also produced and hosted several LHM Bible studies, spoke at conferences and events across the United States and Canada, and led numerous ministry tours internationally.

Before taking the Speaker’s microphone, he served the International Lutheran Laymen’s League as its pastoral advisor from 1996 to 2000 and spent 28 years in pastoral positions at Lutheran churches in Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, and South Dakota.

The Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Seltz

Speaker of The Lutheran Hour®, 2011-2017

The Rev. Dr. Gregory P. Seltz served as the Speaker of The Lutheran Hour® radio program, a position he held from 2011 to 2017. As such, he serves as the featured Speaker on Lutheran Hour Ministries’ flagship Christian outreach radio program with over 1 million listeners, airing on more than 1,600 stations across North America, as well as on the American Forces Network. He also serves as the organization’s spiritual leader, evangelist, and ministry emissary with The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Lutheran Church–Canada (LCC).

Before joining Lutheran Hour Ministries, Seltz served as Director of the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center, professor of Theology, and overseer of the master’s program in Theology and Culture at Concordia University in Irvine, California. With over 75 pastors in the urban mission field during his tenure, his work prepared leaders from various cultures to launch ministries in a variety of cultural settings, including Vietnamese, Korean, Spanish, Indonesian, Indian, and African-American, to name some.

Prior to his work at Concordia, Seltz was the Executive Director of Life’s Journey Ministries, an urban, not-for-profit evangelism ministry in Manhattan, New York. He was also the founding pastor of the first new Lutheran mission start in more than 40 years in New York City (Church For All Nations-LCMS), he started a mission church in Dallas, and he also served as pastor of a large congregation in Tampa.

Seltz holds a bachelor’s degree in New Testament-Biblical Languages from Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan, plus a Master of Divinity in Systematics-New Testament and a Master of Sacred Theology in Systematics from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. He was also awarded the Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia University Irvine, and is ABD in his PhD program at Concordia Seminary St. Louis. He and his wife, Marie Yvette, have one daughter, Devin.

Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler

Speaker of The Lutheran Hour®

Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler began serving with LHM as Speaker of The Lutheran Hour in October 2018. Prior to that, he served as pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church (2014-2018) and assistant pastor at Timothy Lutheran Church (2012-2014), both in St. Louis. Before becoming a pastor, he served as an aircraft maintenance officer in the Air Force.

Michael grew up in a military family, living throughout the U.S., from North Dakota to Alabama, Virginia to Colorado. His family moved eleven times before he finished high school in Springfield, Missouri. He graduated from the U. S. Air Force Academy in 2001 with a general engineering degree and served 5 years in the Air Force. He left active duty in 2006 to prepare to be a pastor at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, completing a Master of Divinity in 2010 and a Ph.D. in 2014.

He continues to serve part-time as an Air Force Reserve officer at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and as a guest instructor at Concordia Seminary.

Michael and his wife, Amy, have four children. Amy enjoys being a home-school and Sunday school teacher, cooking, crafting, and being a catalyst for events aimed at strengthening bonds between family and friends.