Rev. Dr. Donald Gourlay Honored by CUChicago

May 2008

Rev. Dr. Donald B. Gourlay was recognized at the May 3, 2008, graduation ceremonies of Concordia University Chicago with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree, a distinction that is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Christian education through teaching competence, administrative leadership, and creativity in educational thought and action.

Rev. Gourlay graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. in 1964, after which he became an assistant pastor at St. John Lutheran Church, Forest Park, Ill., where he served until 1971. He spent three years as director of “The Chicago Project,” a human relations effort of the Northern Illinois District. The project provided workshops dealing with social issues such as racism, sexism, and other issues of inequality.

In 1974, he became pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in the Austin area on the west side of Chicago where he served as pastor for 25 years. In his career, Gourlay has been a board member and president of the Lutheran Congregations for Career Development, was a member of the Board of Directors of Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois and in November of 1999 took a position as Congregational Services Executive for the East Region of the Northern Illinois District, LCMS. He retired in January 2007 and still consults with churches on behalf of the district as a mission facilitator.

Academically, in addition to a Masters of Divinity from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, he holds a Master of Arts in Inner City Studies from Northeastern Illinois University and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Homiletics from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.

He is married to Lynne (neé Strohn) of Oconomowoc, Wis., and the couple has three grown children. They have been residents of Oak Park, Ill. since 1971.