"The person who’s in love with their vision of community will destroy
community. But the person who loves the people around them will create
community everywhere they go." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has
passed away; see, everything has become new!" - II Corinthians 5: 17
Rev. Dr. Richard Bliese
My Story
Rev. Dr. Richard Bliese serves as the President of Emmanuel Lutheran Global Seminary. Dr. Bliese completed his PH.D. in the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in 1995, and went on to teach theology and mission at two ELCA seminaries in Chicago, IL (Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago) and St. Paul, MN (Luther Seminary).
Dr. Bliese was called to lead Luther Seminary in 2003, first as Academic Dean, then as President. After ten years at Luther Seminary, Dr. Bliese served two foundations, the Lilly Foundation as the President of the In Trust Center for Theological Education (a consultancy agency for theological seminaries in the United States and Canada) and the Kern Family Foundation (WI) as a consultant/advocate within the area of “Faith, Work, and Economics.”
During his work for the Kern Family Foundation, building alternative pastoral leadership programs across the country, Dr. Bliese re-engaged with the vision and ministry of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Naples. Dr. Bliese came to Emmanuel Lutheran Global Seminary with a rich background in theological education and experience as a missionary for five years in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and six years in Germany.
Dr. Bliese has published numerous articles and books studying missiology. He is the editor, with Craig Van Gelder, of The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution. Fortress Press published his most recent book, Eighth-Day Discipleship: A New Vision for Faith, Work and Economics, in 2022.