Oliver Raymond Harms (December 11, 1901 in

Cole Camp, Missouri Cole Camp is a small city in Benton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,121 at the 2010 census. The town is known for the annual street fair in September. It also hosts a Maifest in May, an Oktoberfest in October, and a Christba ...

– June 3, 1980 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

) was the seventh president of the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...

(LCMS) from 1962 to 1969. Oliver Harms was a 1926 graduate of

Concordia Seminary Concordia Seminary is a Lutheran seminary in Clayton, Missouri. The institution's primary mission is to train pastors, deaconesses, missionaries, chaplains, and church leaders for the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). Founded in 1839, t ...

, St. Louis. He was ordained on October 4, 1926, as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in

Eden, Texas Eden is a city in Concho County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,766 at the 2010 census. The community is a rural trading center for agricultural products for the many large ranches and farms in West Texas. History The earliest settl ...

, where he served from 1926 to 1935. Also in 1926, he married Bertha Serrien. In 1935, he became pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in

, where he succeeded John W. Benhken, who had become the sixth president of the LCMS. Harms served as a vice-president of the Texas District from 1939 to 1948, and as president from 1948 to 1950. From 1941 to 1947 he was a member of the Board of Electors of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He served the LCMS as a member of its board of directors from 1950 to 1956, as a vice-president from 1956 to 1959, and as president from 1962 to 1969. In 1953, he was awarded an honorary

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Harms died on June 3, 1980, in Houston. He and his wife are buried in Trinity Lutheran Cemetery in that city.

References

External links

Concordia Historical Institute
1901 births 1980 deaths People from Benton County, Missouri Presidents of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod People from Concho County, Texas People from Houston Concordia Seminary alumni 20th-century American clergy {{Lutheran-stub