Rev. Robert B. Lantz-A Transformative Life tells the story of a most uncommon man, Robert Bryan Lantz. He was a complex, driven man who overcame economic hardships and parental neglect to transform his life into one of service in the field of pastoral counseling. Countless individuals were assisted through the programs he established in clinical pastoral education (CPE) and in his private counseling. Many other lives were transformed through the efforts of the men who had Robert Lantz as their CPE supervisor. In many ways the trainees themselves were most affected by their quiet but demanding mentor. Robert Lantz used his outstanding financial skills, unique for a clergyman, to provide long-term growth and stability for those Lutheran institutions and professional organizations to which he was most committed. Intensely loyal, rigorously principled, and determined to chart his own course Robert Lantz often went against accepted "norms." Though reserved and personally gracious he fought tenaciously for what he believed his vocation and profession demanded. An avid boater all his life, Robert B. Lantz had as his banner freedom, personal responsibility, and service to God's people. He said it all when he wrote at the top of an early resume-"No Miracle-Just Hard Work."


Michael J. Kurtz serves as associate pastor at Magothy-Chelsea Community Lutheran Church in Pasadena, Maryland. He is also a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies where he directs the archival specialization track in the MLS program. Prior to this he worked for 37 years as a professional archivist, manager, and senior executive at the National Archives and Records Administration. Dr. Kurtz has published extensively in the areas of American history and archival management, including John Gottlieb Morris: Man of God, Man of Science (1997), America and the Return of Nazi Contraband (2006, paperback 2009) and Managing Archival and Manuscript Repositories (2004). He lives outside Annapolis, Maryland, with his partner of many years, Cherie Loustaunau, and their two cats-Samson and Delilah.