Author: Amandus Derr

Amandus J. Derr is a retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He received an M.Div. degree in 1975 from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago via the SEMINEX faculty and a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1981 from Drew University, concentrating on Islamic – Christian relations. He has served as senior two parishes, Grace Lutheran Church and School, Teaneck, New Jersey (1975-1997) and Saint Peter’s Church, Manhattan, New York, New York (1997-2020). Retiring with his wife Carole to Spring, Texas, in 2020, he served as interim senior pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Houston, Texas (June 2021-September 2023) and has been asked to fill that position again as of August 1, 2025. He served various positions of leadership in the East Coast Synod, AELC; as co-chair of the ELCA New Jersey Transition team; and on the synod council and executive committees of both the New Jersey and Metropolitan New York Synods. From 1991 to 1997, he served as Secretary of the ELCA New Jersey Synod. Pastor Derr has written numerous articles and homiletic notes for Currents, Lutheran Forum, and Sundays and Seasons; and served as book review editor of Lutherans Partners magazine from 1982-1991. From 2007-2019, he served as chair and since 2019 as chair-emeritus on the board of Wartburg Senior Care Center, Mount Vernon, New York.