Reed Lessing was born and raised in Denver, Colo. He received the B.A. in pre-seminary studies from St. John's College, Winfield, Kans., in 1981. His degrees from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., are the M.Div. (1985), the S.T.M. (1989), and the Ph.D. (2001). He was ordained into the office of the holy ministry on June 29, 1986. From 1986 to 1999, he served pastorates in West Monroe, La., and Broken Arrow, Okla. Dr. Lessing was also Professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, from 1999 to 2013. He served as Senior Pastor at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Ind., from September 2013 to July 2020. He currently serves as Professor of Theology and Ministry at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn.