Presiding Bishop

About The Rev. Yehiel Curry

The Rev. Yehiel Curry is the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Elected at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 30, 2025, Presiding Bishop Curry began this role on Oct. 1, 2025, and will be installed on Oct. 4 in Minneapolis.

Previously, he served as bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod, where he led 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. During that time, he chaired the ELCA Conference of Bishops, fostering ecumenical relationships and theological engagement across the Lutheran communion.

Prior to his role as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, Presiding Bishop 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.

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