Rev. John T. Pless, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, was elected co-president of the International Wilhelm Löhe Society at a meeting on July 26 in Neuendettelsau, Germany. Pless succeeds Dr. Craig Nessan of Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, who served as co-president since 2006. As co-president, Pless will share leadership of the International Wilhelm Löhe Society with Dr. Dietrich Blaufuss of Erlangen, Germany. Prior to his election as co-president, Pless had served as the secretary for the English language section of the organization since 2006.

The International Wilhelm Löhe Society met in Neuendettelsau for its triennial conference from July 22-26 in observance of the bicentennial of the birth of Wilhelm Löhe, a German pastor whose work in liturgics, pastoral care, and missions would have deep impact on the Lutheran church throughout the world. Löhe was instrumental in the founding of Concordia Theological Seminary in 1846. Prof. Pless was one of several scholars from Australia, Germany, and the United States who presented papers at the conference. The conference included participants from Germany, Brazil, the United States, Italy, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Hong Kong.

The next meeting of the International Wilhelm Löhe Society is scheduled for July 26-30, 2011, on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne.