Contact: Greg Koenig, Lutheran Hour Ministries, 314-317-4152

ST. LOUIS, Mo., Jan. 27, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Lutheran Hour Ministries/Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones is pleased to announce that the Rev. Gregory P. Seltz of Orange, California, will become the eighth Speaker of The Lutheran Hour® radio program. The Lutheran Hour, which first aired in 1930, is the world's longest-running Christian-outreach radio broadcast; its first Speaker, the Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier, is considered a pioneer in 20th-century Christian mass media.

Seltz will succeed the Rev. Dr. Ken Klaus, who served as Speaker from 2002 until his retirement from full-time duties at the end of the 2010 calendar year. Seltz will officially begin serving in the Speaker position on a part-time basis Feb. 1 and will become full time on or before June 1.

"We're pleased that the Lord has led us to Rev. Seltz with his diverse ministry experience," said Lutheran Hour Ministries Executive Director Bruce Wurdeman. "As Speaker, he will have the tasks of carrying on The Lutheran Hour's Gospel legacy and upholding its historic focus: reaching the lost with the message of hope found in Christ. God is good -- and He has provided richly for this ministry."

"I'm honored to now be included in the long line of Speakers whose goal was to faithfully bring Christ to the nations and the nations to the church," says Seltz. "I'm also very excited about the new opportunities for presenting that same Good News to our increasingly multi-cultural and diverse world."

Seltz is currently a professor of Theology and the Director of the Cross-Cultural Ministry Center at Concordia University in Irvine, California. His role includes training students to launch ministries in a variety of cultural settings.

Prior to his work at Concordia, Seltz led Life's Journey Ministries, an urban evangelism ministry in Manhattan, New York; founded Church For All Nations (LCMS), also in Manhattan; and served in various other ministry roles. He has led seminars on urban ministry, entrepreneurial leadership development, and evangelism. Seltz has served on the steering committee of the National Urban Evangelism Institute for the LCMS, the Advisory Board for North American Missions--LCMS, and the board of the Center for U.S. Missions.

Klaus will continue to serve as Speaker Emeritus. His projects in this role will include writing and editing LHM's daily devotions, recording a sermon a month for The Lutheran Hour, and producing Bible studies for LHM's Men's NetWork, among others.

The mission of Lutheran Hour Ministries/Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones is Bringing Christ to the Nations -- and the Nations to the Church. LHM supports the outreach efforts of churches in more than 30 countries worldwide by producing Christian radio and TV programming, Internet and print communications, dramas, music, and other resources. The Lutheran Hour, LHM's flagship Gospel outreach program, airs weekly on more than 1,350 North American stations. The Spanish-language version of the program, Para el Camino, is narrated by the Rev. Héctor Hoppe and can be heard on radio in the United States, Central America, and South America, as well as online at www.paraelcamino.com. For more information about Lutheran Hour Ministries/Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones and The Lutheran Hour/Para el Camino radio program, please visit www.lhm.org or www.paraelcamino.com.