Martin Luther, the man after whom our denomination is named, was an Augstinian Monk, Priest, and Teacher in 16th Century Wittenburg, Germany.  As a theologian and scholar of scripture he questioned some of the accepted practices of the Roman Catholic Church.  His questions ultimately led to a separation from Rome and the beginning of the Protestant Church.  Click the image for more.

Luther's primary gifts were to translate the Bible from Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, into the language of the German people, to recuit and teach a host of clergy to teach and preach in their own congregations so that their parishioners might learn to love rather than fear God, and to serve out of a sense of thanksgiving for the grace they have already received rather than struggling to earn their forgiveness.

Luther was a musician and wrote many hymns which we still sing today.  He remained a teacher to the end of his days and wrote the Small Catechism which is still used as an educational tool for young and old alike.  The second image will link you to a copy of the Small Catechism.