Mission, education, and the church
Douglas L. Rutt is a Lutheran pastor, missionary, educator, and scholar whose work focuses on Christian mission, theological education, cross-cultural ministry, and Lutheran theology and preaching.
Before entering the pastoral ministry, he served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and aircraft mechanic. He and his wife, Deborah, began missionary service in Guatemala in 1983. Over three periods of service there, he worked in evangelism, church planting, pastoral ministry, and theological education, including the preparation of Guatemalan church leaders. He later held leadership roles with LCMS World Mission throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
From 2000 to 2010, he served on the faculty of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, teaching missiology, pastoral theology, and related subjects and helping develop distance education programs.
From 2010 to 2018, he served as Executive Director of International Ministries for Lutheran Hour Ministries, an international Christian media ministry, leading media outreach across more than thirty-five countries to proclaim the Gospel and connect people with local congregations.
He subsequently served as Provost and Professor of Practical Theology at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, with responsibility for academic programs and teaching in homiletics and missiology.
His experiences in Guatemala helped shape a lasting interest in indigenous church leadership, theological formation, and relationships of mutual respect between mission organizations and local churches. He continues to write, teach, and serve organizations devoted to Lutheran mission and theological education.
For an earlier account of his missionary experience, see the historical missionary profile published by the Lutheran Society for Missiology. Its account reflects an earlier period and should not be read as a current résumé.