Title: August Wenzel, Former Lutheran Bishop, Seminary Educator, Dies ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 8, 2008
August Wenzel, Former Lutheran Bishop, Seminary Educator, Dies 08-061-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. August E. Wenzel, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), former Lutheran bishop and seminary educator, died May 5 of cancer at home in San Antonio. He was 72.
A funeral service will be held May 10 at Faith Lutheran Church, Seguin, Texas.
"Augie Wenzel was a rare gift to the church -- part theologian, part administrator, part visionary for what the church needs to become and to be," said the Rev. Roger W. Fjeld, Estes Park, Colo., president emeritus, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa. "We have reason to grieve the loss of a fine leader ... and reason to celebrate the lasting contributions he made to our church and its preparation of leaders in mission," he said.
"Trinity Lutheran Seminary is grateful for the profound witness that Augie carried into the pastoral office," said the Rev. Mark R. Ramseth, president, Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. "He was always pastor, as he was teacher. His lasting legacy will be that of pastor, teacher and bishop who played a key role in mentoring and forming future leaders for Christ's church in the world. The church is grateful," he said.
Wenzel was born Jan. 26, 1936, near Rockdale, Texas. He graduated from Texas Lutheran College (now Texas Lutheran University), Seguin, and Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary (now Trinity Lutheran Seminary), Columbus -- both ELCA schools. He earned a master's degree from Vanderbilt University School of Divinity, Nashville, Tenn., and a doctorate from Garrett Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill.
Ordained in 1964, Wenzel served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Nashville, and Trinity Lutheran Church, Evanston. He served as campus pastor for Texas Lutheran College and as director of the college's Lutheran Institute for Religious Studies, which Fjeld called "a cutting-edge continuing education program" and "one of the earliest such programs."
In 1978 Wenzel became bishop of the Southern District of the former American Lutheran Church, one of three church bodies that formed the ELCA in 1988. In the ELCA Wenzel was director of the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest (LSPS), Austin, Texas, until he retired in January 2001.
LSPS is an extension program of Wartburg Theological Seminary and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, two seminaries of the ELCA. The program is located on the campus of the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, near the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Fjeld said Wenzel accepted the challenge of "shaping and shepherding" LSPS through the early years of the ELCA, "when the new church was still trying to decide whether and what kind of theological extension centers it needed. That program became a model for such extension programs," he said.
Wenzel was preceded in death by his first wife Barbara. He is survived by his wife Gail and three sons -- David, Louis and Michael.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog