Taryn Montgomery Elected Bishop of the ELCA Northeastern Minnesota Synod

CHICAGO — The Rev. Taryn Montgomery, Duluth, Minn., was elected April 25 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, April 24-26 at Breezy Point Resort in Breezy Point, Minn.

Montgomery was elected on the fifth ballot, with 166 votes. The Rev. Kathryn Tiede, associate vice president of philanthropy for Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, received 111 votes.  A total of 139 votes was needed for election.

The bishop-elect has served as synod minister since 2023. Previously Montgomery served as hospice chaplain at Ecumen Lakeshore senior living in Duluth from 2021 to 2023, pastor of Chisago Lake Lutheran Church in Center City, Minn., from 2018 to 2021, and pastor of Bread of Life Lutheran Church in Minot, N.D., from 2011 to 2018.

Montgomery earned a Bachelor of Theology from Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas, in 2004, and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary) in 2011. United is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

The Rev. Amy Odgren has served as synod bishop since 2020.

Learn more about the Northeastern Minnesota Synod.

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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 2.7 million members in more than 8,300 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean. 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
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org

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