G. H. (George Henry) Gerberding

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 21, 1847, George Henry Gerberding became an influential American Lutheran minister and theologian. He studied under noted Lutheran teachers including Charles Porterfield Krauth and C. F. Schaeffer, and early in his career assisted the Rev. William A. Passavant.

Gerberding served churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Fargo, North Dakota, and was known as an energetic builder of congregations. He later held major leadership roles in the church, including founding and serving as the first president of the Synod of the Northwest, leading the Chicago Synod, and teaching at both Chicago Lutheran Seminary and Northwestern Lutheran Seminary in St. Paul.

He is best remembered as a clear, practical religious writer. Among his best-known books are The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church, The Lutheran Pastor, and The Lutheran Catechist. His work was widely used in American Lutheran circles, and he remained an important voice in pastoral theology until his death on March 27, 1927.