Biographies
LCMS National Convention • July 18–23, 2026 • Phoenix, Ariz.
More information about the 2026 convention will be shared on this page as it becomes available. Questions can be emailed to convention@lcms.org.
The 69th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod from July 18 to July 23 in Phonix will include daily worship services, four essay presentations, and four catechetical presentations.
Essayist bios are featured below. Bios for the preachers, catechists, and chaplains are coming soon.
• Catechists (Coming soon)
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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Rev. Dr. Terrence Chan
The Rev. Dr. Terrence Chan serves as pastor and lead missionary at Christ for All Nations Lutheran Church in San Francisco, a multiethnic parish encompassing multiple congregations, languages, locations and ministries. He is the founder of the Multi Asian Inter-ethnic Network (MAIN), which sponsors the national Multi Asian Gathering (MAG) held annually in conjunction with the Multiethnic Symposium at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, as well as regional MAGs nationwide. Born in Hong Kong and raised in a family that has lived in the United States since 1869, Chan is both a fifth-generation American and a first-generation Asian immigrant. His ministry passion focuses on developing multicultural leaders, strengthening multiethnic ministries and equipping congregations to engage communities beyond their own.
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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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Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa
The Rev. Dr. Alfonso Espinosa has served as a pastor in the LCMS for 35 years, currently serving at Saint Paul's Lutheran Church of Irvine, Calif. He received his M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (1991); his M.A. in Christian apologetics from Biola University, La Mirada, Calif. (2001); and his Ph.D. in theology from the University of Birmingham, England (2009). Espinosa has served on the Board for National Mission since 2014, including as chair this past triennium. He has served as adjunct professor of theology at Concordia University Irvine for 18 years and has authored many works, most recently Contending for Christ Through the Creed: Apologetics for Loving Answers on the Christian Faith. Espinosa is married to Traci, and they are blessed with many children, in-law children and grandchildren.
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Rev. Brady Finnern
The Rev. Brady Finnern is husband to Amy; father of Kajsa, Averil, Elias and Xavia; track and field coach; and president of the LCMS Minnesota North District, home of 195 congregations and 26 schools. He received his B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn. (2002), and his M.Div from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (2006). He served the congregations of St. John’s Lutheran Church, North Prairie, Wis. (2006-2010), and Messiah Lutheran Church, Sartell, Minn. (2010-2022), before his election as district president. He is the host of Concord Matters on KFUO Radio and currently serves as chair of the Council of Presidents.
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Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson
The Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson has served as the president of the LCMS Pacific Southwest District since 2018. He received his B.A. from California State University, Sacramento (1979); his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1984); and his D.Min. with an emphasis in church pathology and leadership from Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, Calif. (1996). He has served as a pastor for 42 years, most recently serving at Christ Lutheran Church and School in Costa Mesa, Calif. He and Kathy were married in 1979 and have two adult sons, Andrew and Tim.
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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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Rev. Nabil S. Nour
The Rev. Dr. Nabil Subhi Nour, 70, is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Born in Nazareth, Israel, he grew up a Roman Catholic, becoming Lutheran by the grace of God after he was introduced to the faith by beloved wife, Jean. Arab by race, Palestinian by nationality and Christian by grace, Nour migrated to the U.S. at the age of 16. He received a B.S. in criminology and sociology from Huron College, Huron, S.D. in 1979. After receiving encouragement to consider the pastoral office from fellow church members and pastors, including the now sainted Rev. Dr. Dale Sattgast, Nour entered Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, in 1989 and received his M.Div. in 1994. He served at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Armour, S.D., for 21 years and at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hartford, S.D., for nine years. Nour has served as the vice-president representing the LCMS Great Plains Region since 2013. He and Jean have been blessed with many children, in-law children and grandchildren.
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Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor
A baptized child of God, the Rev. Dr. Dien Ashley Taylor serves as the bishop and president of the LCMS Atlantic District. He received his B.A. from Concordia College New York, Bronxville, N.Y. (1995); his M.Div. from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (2000); and his Ph.D. from Fordham University, The Bronx, N.Y. (2005). He is the pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church in The Bronx, and he serves on the LCMS Board for National Mission as the president’s voting representative and vice chairman.
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Essayists
Rev. Dr. Jon S. Bruss
Sunday, July 26
“Christ is the Truth” — 1 Cor. 15:1-19
The Rev. Dr. Jon S. Bruss (B.A., St. Olaf College, 1989; MDiv, Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary, 1994; M.A. and Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1996 and 2000) joined the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), as an associate professor of systematic theology in 2022. In September 2024, he was installed as CTSFW’s 17th president.
From 1991 through 2002, Bruss served on the faculty of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minn., and thereafter at St. Olaf College, the University of the South and the University of Kansas. He colloquized into The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in 2006 and took a pastoral call in 2013 to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Topeka, Kan., where he served as assistant pastor (2013–2015) and then senior pastor (2015–2022) until his call to join the faculty at CTSFW.
Bruss has been a contributing translator to Concordia Publishing House’s series of Luther’s Works, most notably the Annotationes in Matthaeum, and has published and presented frequently on topics in theology and classics. He currently serves on the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations, the Pastoral Formation Committee and the Colloquy Committee for the Pastoral Ministry.
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Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Egger
Monday, July 27
“Christ Changes Everything” — 1 Cor. 15:16-22
The Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger has served as president of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (CSL), since 2021. He joined the seminary faculty in 2005, teaching mainly in the area of Old Testament. A native of Muscatine, Iowa, he served as pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in rural Storm Lake, Iowa, from 2000 to 2005.
His areas of interest include biblical Hebrew, the books of Genesis and Exodus, Christ typology, narrative and rhetorical analysis, and the nature and authority of Scripture. He has also made contributions in the area of American Lutheran history, especially the history of the LCMS and its first president, Dr. C. F. W. Walther.
Egger served on the LCMS Small Catechism Explanation Revision Committee (2015–2017), the board of directors for Providence Classical Christian Academy in St. Louis (2008–2019) and the board of regents for Concordia University Chicago (2019-2021). He has served on the LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations since 2010 and also currently serves on the LCMS Pastoral Formation Committee, the LCMS Pastoral Colloquy Committee and the board of the International Lutheran Society of Wittenberg. Tom and his wife Tori have six children and seven grandchildren.
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Dr. Michael A. Thomas
Tuesday, July 28
“Christ Conquers Death” — 1 Cor. 15:23–28
Dr. Michael A. Thomas (B.A., Concordia University Portland; M.A., University of Washington; Ph.D., University of Virginia) has served as president of Concordia University Irvine (CUI) since 2020, leading one of Southern California’s most dynamic private Christian universities through an era of strategic growth, institutional strengthening and deepened community impact. Under his leadership, CUI has expanded its footprint to three campuses and matured into a comprehensive university offering over 60 programs from the baccalaureate through Ph.D. levels, with an operating budget exceeding $100 million and an enrollment approaching 5,000 students across on-ground and online learning modalities.
Before arriving at CUI, Thomas held senior academic leadership roles at Concordia University Portland, including Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Honors Program, experiences that informed his commitment to the Lutheran intellectual tradition, academic excellence and institutional stewardship.
During Thomas’s tenure, CUI has solidified high-profile partnerships that connect academic preparation to real-world opportunity.
Thomas has stewarded significant capital investments and academic innovation, from the expansion of engineering and computer science programs to facility enhancements that support athletics, performing arts and holistic student formation. These initiatives align with his vision of a Lutheran university that integrates rigorous scholarship, vocational formation and community service.
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Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton
Wednesday, July 22
“Christ's Resurrection for You” — 1 Cor. 5:20-24 with 1 Cor. 15:50-57
The Rev. Dr. Kirk Clayton, assistant professor of theology at Concordia University Chicago (CUC), specializes in the art of Christian apologetics, defending the Christian faith from challenges and giving answers to questions posed to the faith. He spent three summers studying at the International Academy of Apologetics, Evangelism & Human Rights, working with Dr. John Warwick Montgomery, Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Dr. Angus Menuge, Craig Parton and others.
He is a passionate defender of the truth of Scripture and the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has been a frequent guest on KFUO Radio and on Issues, Etc., and has spoken regularly at Higher Things youth conferences. In the summer of 2025 he was able to spend three weeks teaching apologetics for the Creative Word Fellowship in Australia.
At CUC, Clayton teaches in the area of systematic theology, leads the planning team for CUC’s annual Apologetics Boot Camp and serves as the director of the pre-seminary program. Prior to serving at CUC, Clayton served for 24 years as a pastor at two congregations in Illinois. Clayton and his wife, Lori, have been married for 30 years and have been blessed with six children. His greatest joy is spending time with them as often as possible.
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Chaplain
Rev. Sean Daenzer
Convention Chaplain
The Rev. Sean Daenzer is director of LCMS Worship and the chaplain at the Synod’s International Center. He previously served for seven years as pastor of a dual parish in rural North Dakota.
Daenzer holds a Bachelor of Music in Organ from Hope College, Holland, Mich. (2006), and a Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. (2011).
He and his wife, Audrey, have four living children (Lucia, Monica, Renata and Christina) and two awaiting the resurrection (Perpetua and Matthias).
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