Laurie Skow-Anderson elected bishop of the ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin

CHICAGO – The Rev. Laurie Skow-Anderson, Menomonie, Wis., was elected June 3 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly June 2-3 at the Davies Center at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.

Skow-Anderson was elected on the fifth ballot with 228 votes to 187 votes for the Rev. John A. Sutherland, assistant to the synod's bishop.

The bishop-elect currently serves as the synod's director for evangelical mission. She served as a pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids, Minn., from 2001 to 2014.

Skow-Anderson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in from Moorhead State University in Moorhead, Minn., in 1980, and a Master of Divinity degree from Northwestern Lutheran Theological Seminary (now Luther Seminary) in St. Paul, Minn. in 1986. She earned a Doctor of Ministry from Luther in 2010. The seminary is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

The Rev. Richard N. Hoyme has served as bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin since 2013 and will retire June 30.

Skow-Anderson will be installed on Aug. 25 at Bethel Lutheran Church in Hudson, Wis.

Information about the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin is available at nwswi.org.

- - -

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

​