Ann Svennungsen re-elected bishop of the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod

The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen, Minneapolis, was re-elected May 5 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly May 4-5 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ramsey, Minn.

The bishop was re-elected on the second ballot with 337 votes to 50 votes for the Rev. Jeffrey P. Nehrbass, pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Svennungsen has served as bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod since 2012. She served as interim pastor of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., from 2011 to 2012 and as president of Texas Lutheran University in Seguin from 2007 to 2010. St. Olaf and Texas Lutheran are among the 26 ELCA colleges and universities.

Svennungsen earned a degree in mathematics from Concordia College, an ELCA school in Moorhead, Minn., and a Master of Divinity degree at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 1981. Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Information about the Minneapolis Area Synod is available at mpls-synod.org/.

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.5 million members in 9,300 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

 For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org

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