Description
This record group contains academic transcripts (1900-1927), student papers written by Lohrenz (1900-1927), material relating
to McPherson College (1888-1910), material relating to Tabor College (1908-1932), essays, addresses, sermon and lecture notes,
correspondence with a wide variety of persons, particularly other leaders in the Mennonite Brethren Church, material relating
to conscientious objectors in World War I, Lohrenz family genealogical material, and other items relating to the life of Henry
W. Lohrenz. The record groups also contains a small amount of papers from Lohrenz's wife, Anna Friesen Lohrenz
Background
Henry W. Lohrenz was born in Harvey County, Kansas, on 2 February 1878 to Heinrich and Elizabeth Wiens Lohrenz. He joined
the Ebenezer Mennonite Brethren Church in Buhler, Kansas, in 1896. From 1900 to 1908 Lohrenz attended McPherson (Kan.) College,
from where he received an A.B. degree in 1908. While a student at McPherson, the Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church near Hillsboro,
Kansas, called Lohrenz to the ministry in 1904. He was ordained there in 1907. In 1908 Lohrenz was called to be president
of the newly-founded Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. He held that position until 1931. During most of those years Lohrenz
was also a professor of biology at Tabor. From 1929 to 1932 he was the Dean of the Tabor College Bible School. Lohrenz received
an A.M. degree from the University of Kansas in 1911 and a D.D. from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1929.
He also briefly attended Columbia University, Princeton Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville,
Kentucky, the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Chicago, and the University of Wichita. In 1932 Lohrenz left Tabor and
became an assistant professor of Biology and Bible at Bethel College in nearby Newton, Kansas. He stayed there only until
1934, when he accepted a position as Bible instructor at Corn Bible Academy in Corn, Oklahoma. He returned to Tabor in 1935
as Dean of the Bible School, a position he held until 1941. From 1941 until 1945 he was a professor of Bible there. H. W.
Lohrenz's service to the Mennonite Brethren Conference was wide ranging. He is perhaps best remembered in that regard as the
chairman of the Board of Foreign Missions from 1919-1936 and Executive Secretary of that board from 1936-1945. His other conference
positions included Conference Moderator (1919-1924, 1927-1930 and 1943-1945), Conference Assistant Moderator (1936-1939),
Conference Secretary (1905-1906), Conference Assistant Secretary (1909-1915), chairman of the Constitution Committee (1930-1936),
Secretary-Treasurer of the Education Committee (1936-1939), Vice Chairman (1936-1939) and Chairman (1943-1945) of the Board
of Reference and Counsel, member of the Christian Education Committee (1924-1927), and member of the Peace Committee (1919-1927). Henry
W. Lohrenz died 16 March 1945 in Hillsboro, Kansas.