Dr. Dale A. Meyer is president
of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Meyer first joined the faculty
at Concordia Seminary as a guest instructor, serving from 1979 to 1981. He then
served as an assistant professor from 1981 to 1984. In 2001, he rejoined the
faculty and continues to serve as professor of practical theology in addition
to his role as president.
He previously served as the
Gregg H. Benidt Memorial Chair in Homiletics and Literature (2001-05). He
served as the interim president (2004-05) and became the 10th president of
Concordia Seminary in 2005.
After earning a Master of
Divinity from Concordia Seminary (1973), Meyer earned a master’s degree (1974)
and a doctorate (1986) in classical languages from Washington University in St.
Louis. He completed his bachelor’s degree (1969) at Concordia Senior College in
Fort Wayne, Ind. He also is the recipient of an honorary Doctor of Divinity
(1993) from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Meyer’s first call was as
pastor of St. Salvator Lutheran Church in Venedy, Ill., and St. Peter Lutheran
Church in New Memphis, Ill. (1974-81). After his tenure as a guest instructor
at Concordia Seminary (1979-81), he served as an assistant professor, teaching
classes in New Testament and homiletics, and as the director of Resident Field
Education (1981-84). He went on to become senior pastor at Holy Cross Lutheran
Church in Collinsville, Ill. (1984-88).
Meyer was a speaker on The Lutheran Hour radio program (1989 to
2001). Through 2003, he hosted the national television show On Main Street for Lutheran Hour
Ministries. In 2001, LHM received two
prestigious Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts &
Sciences (NATAS) St. Louis/Mid-America Chapter for two On Main Street episodes.
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 from 1995 to 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 LCMS Southern Illinois District. He served on the
Board of Trustees of the American Bible Society from 2001 to 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 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. This book was published by Tri-Pillar Publishing in conjunction
with Concordia Seminary. In 2018, a new volume of his sermons, Word Alive!, was published by
Tri-Pillar. The volume includes 52 sermons, spanning decades of his ministry.
Meyer has been speaking and
preaching for more than 40 years. His areas of interest and study include 1
Peter, the church in a changing culture and the Sabbath applied to life today.
He lives 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.
POSITION
President
Professor of Practical Theology
INTERESTS
1 Peter
The church in a changing culture
Sabbath in modern times
DEGREES
M.A. and Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
D.D. (honorary), Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
M.Div., Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.
B.A., Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind.