Presiding Bishop Installation

About Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry

The Rev. Yehiel Curry was elected as the next presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 30, 2025. He began this role on Oct. 1, 2025, and was installed on Oct. 4 in Minneapolis.

Previously, he served as bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod, where he leads a synod staff and 160 congregations by providing pastoral care, preaching, teaching, administering sacraments, and overseeing ordinations and installations. He was elected synod bishop in 2019 and reelected in spring 2025. Curry chaired the ELCA Conference of Bishops, fostering ecumenical relationships and theological engagement across the Lutheran communion.

Previously, Curry served as the mission developer (2007–2012) and pastor (2013–2019) of Shekinah Chapel Lutheran Church in Riverdale, Ill. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He and his wife, LaShonda, are the proud parents of three daughters.