USA – Rev. Dr. Robert T. Kuhn, President Emeritus of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), entered into glory on March 1, 2025. He was 87 years old.

Dr. Kuhn was born on April 5, 1937. He studied at Concordia Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri), graduating in 1963. He was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana).

During his ministry as a parish pastor, Dr. Kuhn served Illinois congregations in Bath and Chanderville (1963-1970); Geneseo (1970-1977); and Pleasant Plains (1979-1985). He also served as Assistant Director of Development at Concordia Teachers College (River Forest, Illinois) from 1977-1979.

In 1985, Dr. Kuhn was elected to serve as the 14th President of the Central Illinois District (whose board of directors he had also served on since 1972). He continued as district president until 1995, when he was elected to serve the LCMS as its First Vice President. When LCMS President Alvin L. Barry died near the end of his third term in 2001, Dr. Kuhn automatically advanced to the office of president. He was the LCMS’ eleventh president, serving from March to August 2001.

During his tenure, Dr. Kuhn—who did not seek an additional term as president—presided over the LCMS’ 61st Synodical Convention, meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, from July 14-20, 2001. He also represented the LCMS at the 19th conference of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), which took place August 11-18, 2001, in Wartburg, South Africa.

Dr. Kuhn continued to serve the LCMS in various ways following his period as president. He was a member of the LCMS’ Board of Directors from 2001-2013, including several years as chairman. In 2013, he was elected to serve the LCMS as Vice President of the East-Southeast Region—a position he held until 2015 when he stepped down for health reasons. In his letter of resignation, he reflected: “Through every phase of ministry for nearly 50 years, I think I never ceased being aware of God’s phenomenal grace.”

Noting Dr. Kuhn’s passing, current LCMS President Matthew C. Harrison hailed him as a “dear father in Christ.”

Memorial services for Dr. Kuhn were scheduled to take place on March 14, 2025 in Oviedo, Florida and on March 28 in Bath, Illinois.

The International Lutheran Council is a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies and groups which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to Holy Scripture and to the Lutheran Confessions.

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