Albert Simon Lutz (1874-1941) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the child of John Michael Lutz and Barbara Weihing. Growing up in New Orleans, he graduated from Boys Central High School in 1891. Around 1889 Lutz began preaching, and in 1892 he was admitted on trial in the Louisiana Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. During these early years, he was stationed at Jackson Street and West Lake in the Opelousas District (1892), Many (1893), and the Jordan Street Methodist Church, previously known as the Shreveport District City Mission (1894). In 1894, he was admitted into full connection within the denomination and elected and ordained a deacon. Lutz enrolled at Centenary College of Louisiana in 1895 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1899. While in college he was a member of the Franklin Institute literary society, the Young Men’s Christian Association, and the Kappa Sigma fraternity. After graduating from Centenary, he enrolled at Vanderbilt University where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1902. He later earned two additional degrees from Centenary -- Master of Arts in 1912, honorary Doctor of Divinity in 1923.

Throughout his life, Lutz played an active role in the Louisiana Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He served as a pastor at churches throughout the state. This included appointments in such cities as Shreveport, New Orleans, Homer, Minden, New Iberia, Hammond, and DeRidder. He also held the position of presiding elder for the Monroe, Baton Rouge, and Alexandria Districts. Lutz also served on committees and boards within the conference such as the Epworth League, the Board of Missions, and the Board of Education. He was also a member of the board of trustees for the Mansfield Female College.

In 1906, Lutz married Hattie Inez Simpson (1882-1975) of Greenwood, Louisiana, daughter of Mary Eleanor Jackson (1846-1914) and DeOrsay Alfred Simpson (1844-1911). The Lutz’s had two children, Mary E. (b. 1914) and Albert Simon, Jr. (1916-1984).