William R. Russell

WILLIAM R. RUSSELL, scholar and pastor, works for the Lutheran World Federation in Geneva, Switzerland. He coordinates LWF's "Lutheran Confessions' Project," a global initiative to interpret the most significant aspects of Martin Luther's legacy as resources for the present work of the church. With a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and an M.Div. from Luther Seminary, Russell has authored/edited 11 books and 100's of articles and reviews.

He is drawn to study Martin Luther by the Reformer's robust and honest approach to life and faith. Martin's manifest faults and limitations show up in the Reformer's work alongside his transformational and enduring contributions.

A sought-after speaker, he has addressed audiences from Canada to Brazil, Malaysia to Puerto Rico, Oslo to Cape Town.

His wife, Ann Svennungsen (bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod, ELCA), and he have three grown children and four grandchildren.