Senior Pastor - Rev. Dr. Jorge E Groh

Son of Rev. Juan Groh and Luisa M. Horst, Pastor Groh is the second son of a family of five children, born in Entre Rios, Argentina on February 17, 1955.

After completing elementary studies in a small town in Entre Rios where his father was the pastor he went to study at Concordia College.  He later followed the theological training to become a pastor, at Concordia Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, graduating in 1977.  Being Ordained and Installed in January 1978.

Just married he took his first call, serving in a rural congregation in La Pampa, South Argentina from 1978-1983. He became the third pastor in the history of that congregation, one of the pioneers in south Argentina which had been served by an American missionary for 48 years.  The board for higher education at that time offered him a scholarship, asking him to do graduate studies in Fort Wayne Indiana, USA, receiving his doctorate in 1989. On returning from the States, from 1985-1990 he served St Trinity Lutheran Church, in Buenos Aires, at the same time he was serving as a part time professor at the Seminary.  In 1990 he was called as a full time professor of Systematic Theology and Missions at Concordia Theological Seminary in Buenos Aires, where he served until 1999.  He also served as President of the Seminary from 1992-1994.

Other positions held by pastor Groh in Argentina include: Member of the Board for Parish Services (Chairman); Board for Missions Services, (Chairman); Editor of “Revista Teológica”, Theological magazine of The Concordia Seminary; LHM in Argentina, (Vice-president of the board); LHM in Argentina, (Theological consultant of publications).

In 1996 he was asked to conduct a missionary survey in Spain for a month, after presenting his recommendations and establishing a joint effort, the Board for BFMS-LCMS and The Lutheran Church in Argentina decided to send the first missionary to Spain. Pastor Groh was a member of the planning and support committee to the Spain Mission until 1999. 

Since February 2000, Pastor Groh was associate pastor serving the Spanish group at St Luke Lutheran Church Ottawa.  While in Canada he was asked to help in the training of future pastors in Nicaragua in December 2000, and in Ukraine, 2003. Pastor Groh served as a member of the Forward in Faith Task Force, LCC-East District.  From 2004-2010 he served as Regional Director for Latin America & Caribbean, as deployed Staff of LCMS-World mission living in Panama City, Central America.  From October 2011 to January 2017 Dr. Groh served as the Executive Director of Lutheran Urban Mission Agency in Kansas City.

Pastor Groh is married to Olga E. Preisz. Olga is a trained Psychotherapist and an LCMS trained deaconess. Olga holds a Master of Arts in Religion from Concordia Chicago University. They have three daughters, Jesica, Pamela and Analis, one granddaughter Bianca, and a son in law, Ivo Balinov.

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