CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. James F. Mauney, 46, was elected bishop of the Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on June 6. He received 282 votes to 167 for the Rev. Dwayne J. Westermann, 52, on the fifth ballot during the synod's assembly at Roanoke College, Salem, Va.
Since 1988, Mauney has been assistant to the Rev. Richard F. Bansemer, 59, current bishop of the synod. Mauney will succeed Bansemer on Sept. 1. Bansemer announced in January that he will take early retirement two years before the end of his six-year term.
Westermann is pastor of College Evangelical Lutheran Church, Salem. The assembly also considered the Rev. J. Christopher Price, 46, Epiphany Lutheran Church, Richmond, Va., on the fourth ballot for bishop. There were 50 names on the nominating ballot.
Born in Lynchburg, Va., and raised in Norfolk, Va., Mauney graduated from Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C., and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C. He was ordained in 1978 and served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, San Diego, Calif., and Christ Lutheran Church, Richmond.
The bishop-elect and his wife, Lynda, are the parents of a daughter who is a student at Roanoke College. They are members of College Evangelical Lutheran Church.
The ELCA Virginia Synod includes almost 44,000 Lutherans in 165 congregations across the state of Virginia except the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. The synod office is at Roanoke College.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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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 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities 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
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
