Jerry Lutz, President of Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Elder Jerry Lutz is the president of the Chesapeake Conference of Seventh-day Adventists where he also served as Conference Secretary from 2014 – 2020. Prior to joining Conference Administration, Elder Lutz was the senior pastor of the Spencerville SDA Church in Chesapeake for nearly 18 years. Before he and his family moved to Maryland in 1996, he was senior pastor of three Central California Conference churches and associate pastor in another.
In pursuit of a call to ministry at a very young age, Jerry graduated from Pacific Union College with a bachelor’s degree in theology and later received a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He was ordained into the Gospel ministry while serving as senior pastor of the Northwest Fresno Church in Central California. As a native of California, Jerry grew up working with his extended family in farming and agriculture in the central San Joaquin Valley where he also developed proficiencies in auto repair, wood working, light carpentry, and related skills.
As part of his regular duties as conference president, Elder Lutz serves on various Union Conference, North American Division, General Conference committees and boards, and an Adventist hospital board. In recent years, prior to accepting the position of conference president, Elder Lutz was a principal contributor to an NAD working committee that was commissioned to develop instruments for developing church profiles and tools for evaluating and mentoring pastors. Also, before entering conference administration, Elder Lutz was an adjunct professor at Washington Adventist University where he taught Church Leadership and Administration in the Graduate School of Professional Studies, Master of Arts program in Religion.
Elder Lutz has authored various articles for the denomination on ministry subjects ranging from stewardship, to Adventist education, to Biblical interpretation. He has also authored and taught a Bible study and marking course designed to help church members share the Good News with friends and neighbors. He has a great passion for preaching and teaching.
From 2010 to 2020, Elder Lutz served as host and moderator of the weekly television program, The American Religious Town Hall Meeting which features religious and educational leaders from various faiths and religious orientations discussing issues of religious liberty and Bible doctrine. Elder Lutz was the 5th moderator of the Dallas, Texas, based program since the broadcast began nearly 70 years ago, making it one of the longest running television programs in history.
Jerry and his wife, Janet, met while both were attending graduate school at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Janet is currently a Physician Relations Coordinator at the Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Center in Maryland. The couple has one adult son, Jarrod, who is chairman of the English Department at Spencerville Adventist Academy. Jarrod’s wife, April, teaches history at Highland View Academy in Hagerstown, Maryland. Jarrod and April have three children.
