Dr. Douglas L. Rutt is a professor emeritus at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
He retired in 2023 after five years of distinguished service. At the time of his retirement, he was professor of Practical Theology.
Rutt joined the Concordia Seminary faculty in July 2018 and served as provost until 2022. He previously served as the executive director of International Ministries for Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM), a position he held from 2010 to 2018. He received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind. (1997, 1986). He earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from Minnesota State University (1981) in Mankato, Minn. Fluent in Spanish, he graduated from the Instituto del Idioma Español in Antigua, Guatemala, in 1984.
Rutt previously served as an adjunct professor at Concordia Theological Seminary and Concordia Seminary, where he taught Ph.D. courses on cultural anthropology and contemporary missiology. Additionally, he was associate professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, dean for Distance Learning and supervisor of the Ph.D. Missiology Program at Concordia Theological Seminary (2000-10). Before he began preparing for ministry, Rutt was a U.S. Navy jet engine mechanic and later served as a commercial pilot and flight instructor after he was discharged from the military.
His written works include several articles on mission history and practice. He served on the editorial committee for Lutheran Mission Matters (formerly Missio Apostolica), the journal of the Lutheran Society for Missiology. He is called upon regularly to consult and speak on mission issues throughout the United States and worldwide. He has served on the board for Lutheran Bible Translators and served as chairman of the Seminary Relations Committee of the International Lutheran Council.
His areas of academic interest include homiletics, theological education and formation, Christian leadership, missiology and LCMS mission history.
He and his wife, Deborah, have five children and 15 grandchildren. Deborah Rutt previously served as assistant vice president for advancement at Concordia Theological Seminary; as CEO of Lutheran Housing Support Corporation; as CEO and president of Humanitri, a St. Louis-based Lutheran social service organization; and is the founding president of A&D Global Business Relations, a public relations agency based in Kosice, Slovakia.
In his spare time, Rutt enjoys listening to music, spending time with family and woodworking.