F. Dean Lueking, 98, former pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest, died on June 25, 2026. In his 35 years as Grace’s senior pastor, from 1963 to 1998, and in his active retirement, Pastor Lueking was a strong voice for justice and compassion in this community as well as a powerful pastoral presence. His many gifts for preaching and teaching were rooted in a passion for pastoral ministry and a deep love for the congregation. His stamina for ministry was legendary. On Easter afternoon, it was noted, when most ministers are inclined to rest from the labors of Holy Week, he was out making hospital calls.
Whether or not that happened every Easter, Pastor Lueking embraced the dailiness of congregational life as the arena in which faith is made alive. In a 2016 article for the Wednesday Journal (he was advocating for the LGBTQ community), he wrote: “The unique thing that congregations can offer is bringing together people with different opinions and holding them together when quitting is tempting. Congregations, at their best, are a work in progress in this regard, composed of people ever learning anew the power of faith active in love. I speak as one who has seen it happen, not only in others but in outgrowing my own hang-ups.” That realistic personal note, and the hope for growth, were characteristic.
Perhaps most remarkable of all Pastor Lueking’s gifts was his capacity to come alongside people in moments of grief, doubt, or confusion and to convey through his words and presence that this experience did not put them outside the house of faith or the love of God. His conviction that God in Christ is powerful enough to meet the challenges of life enabled many people to face times of testing. Pastor Lueking’s witness of faith wove its way into countless lives and forged deep connections in the congregation and beyond.
A pivotal moment in his ministry was Grace Lutheran’s 1977 decision to leave the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in opposition to the synod’s enforcement of a literalistic interpretation of the Bible. Despite heavy pressure from synod leaders, Pastor Lueking asserted that the synod’s view was contrary to the Lutheran understanding of the place of scripture in the life of faith.
Grace’s departure from the synod was a courageous act for Lueking and the congregation. It not only severed deep personal and institutional ties but carried the risk that the congregation could lose its property, which was governed by a lease from the synod. The controversy over the fate of the property led to a court case that was eventually resolved in Grace’s favor, but that took another decade.
Meanwhile, Pastor Lueking preached and lived what he called “the evangelical way,” in which the focus of faith is on the liberating power of God’s love, “which keeps people caring and forgiving of each other.” His brand of evangelical faith was always ready to be enlarged by new realities. This led him to join the 1963 March on Washington, forge interfaith partnerships, maintain connections with Christians around the world, and (with his wife, Beverly) take in a host of foster children.
In recounting the break from the Missouri Synod in the book Grace Under Pressure, Lueking began by profiling Grace members on both sides of the controversy. Though his own position was clear, he sympathized with members of the opposition. Respect for others and the complex realities of their lives was part of his pastoral heart. That’s why many who disagreed with him invariably deeply respected him: he was, unmistakably, a servant of God.
David Heim is the former editor of Christian Century magazine and a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church.