Seminary President
The Rev. Dr. Curtis E. Leins was ordained as a Lutheran Pastor by the North Carolina Synod of the Lutheran Church in America on June 11,1978. He served as a parish pastor of Lutheran congregations in Lexington, NC; Fayetteville, NC; Goldsboro, NC; and Wilmington, DE. Pastor Leins planted or helped to plant congregations in Elkton, MD; Cherry Hill, MD; Wilmington, DE; Lynchburg, VA; and Shrewsbury, PA. Leins served as a Military Chaplain (Major) in the Maryland State Guard (Defense Force). Also, he traveled extensively, and helped to provide pastoral oversight for 80 congregations and pastors worldwide.
After 35 years of parish ministry, in 2013, Dr. Leins accepted a call to serve as the National Home Mission Developer of The American Association of Lutheran Churches. That same year, he was elected to serve as the Assistant Presiding Pastor of The AALC. In 2014, Dr. Leins was called to serve as the Presiding Pastor, National Bishop, of The AALC. His terms of service ran from 2014-2022.
Dr. Leins began teaching at the American Lutheran Theological Seminary in 2010. His specific field of study is Church History. Dr. Leins has taught a number of courses for ALTS: Church History Overview, Early Church History, History of the Reformation, History of Christian Worship, TAALC History and Polity, Introduction to the New Testament, Theological Prolegomena, Doctrine I & Doctrine II, and Introduction to N.T. Greek.
After completion of his terms as Presiding Pastor of The AALC, Dr. Leins accepted a call to serve as Professor of Theology and Spiritual Formation of ALTS. He was elected to serve as ALTS President in June of 2024.
The Rev. Dr. Curtis Leins married Deborah Ann (nee Kelley) Leins on September 1,1974. They have three sons: Robert, Peter, and Christopher.
Degrees:
- Ph.D. – Temple University, 1991. Church History (with distinction).
- M.A. – Temple University, 1988. Religious Studies.
- Th.M. – Duke University, 1984. Church History.
- M.Div. – Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, 1978.
- Teaching Fellowship: Pastoral Care and Counseling.
- B.A. – Lenoir-Rhyne College, 1974. Double Major: Philosophy and Sociology. Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.
Publications:
- Leins, Curtis. Lutherans and Catholics, First World Impasse, Third World Community. Washington, D.C: Library of Congress, 1991, 329 pp.
- Leins, Curtis. “Communion Conflict: The Disagreement Discussion Between the ALC and the LCA During the Formation of the Lutheran Book of Worship,” Lutheran Theological Seminary Bulletin, (Fall, 1987): pp. 16-34. Reprinted with permission in:
- Leins, Curtis. “Communion Conflict: The Disagreement Discussion Between the ALC and the LCA During the Formation of the Lutheran Book of Worship,” American Lutheran Theological Journal, (Vol.1, Issue 1: Summer, 2014): pp. 23-44.