Seven Lutheran Bishops to Retire in 2000

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Seven of the 65 synod bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) have announced plans to retire in 2000. Synod assemblies elect or re-elect bishops to six-year terms. Bishops serve as synods' chief pastors, exercising administrative oversight of the synods' work; they are also members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops.

EAST-CENTRAL WISCONSIN
The Rev. John C. Beem, 64, bishop of the ELCA East-Central Synod of Wisconsin, Appleton, Wis., plans to retire July 31 -- the end of a six-year term to which he was elected in 1994, succeeding the Rev. Robert H. Herder as bishop. He announced his plans at the synod's 1999 assembly.
Beem was pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Humboldt, Iowa; Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Muskegon Heights, Mich.; Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Dubuque, Iowa; and Peace Lutheran Church, Oshkosh, Wis. He also served as assistant to the bishop of the Iowa District of the former American Lutheran Church.
Beem plans to retire, move to Alexandria, Minn., and offer his pastoral services to small congregations in the area. He would like the pastors of those congregations to have opportunities to take sabbatical leave.
The East-Central Synod of Wisconsin will elect a bishop during its assembly June 9-10 at the Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton. The synod includes more than 101,000 Lutherans in 147 congregations in 20 Wisconsin counties.

SOUTHWESTERN TEXAS
The Rev. James E. Bennett, 64, bishop of the ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod, San Antonio, plans to retire at the end of August. He was elected to a six-year term in 1994 to succeed the Rev. Henry Schulte as bishop.
Bennett was pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Export, Pa.; Faith Lutheran Church, Lexington, Ky.; Berkeley Hills Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh; and St. Martin Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas. He also served as assistant to the bishop of the Indiana-Kentucky Synod of the former Lutheran Church in America.
In retirement, Bennett plans to assist the Lutheran Seminary Program in the Southwest, Austin, Texas, and the ELCA's Theological Education for Emerging Ministries.
A synod assembly May 18-20 at Texas Lutheran University, Seguin, Texas, will name Bennett's successor. The Southwestern Texas Synod includes 73,000 Lutherans in 178 congregations across 67 Texas counties.

NORTHERN TEXAS-NORTHERN LOUISIANA
The Rev. Mark B. Herbener, 68, bishop of the ELCA Northern=20 Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, Dallas, plans to retire at the end of = June. He was first elected bishop in 1987, when three Lutheran church bodies merged to form the ELCA, and re-elected in 1991 and 1995. His current term was to end in 2001.
Herbener was pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church, Richardson, Texas, and Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Dallas, before becoming bishop. He was also director for the Dallas Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
A new bishop will be elected at the synod assembly April 28-30 at the Marriott Quorum Hotel in Dallas and will take office July 1.
The Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod includes more than 37,000 Lutherans in 117 congregations across 258 counties in northern Texas and 26 parishes in northern Louisiana.

NEW ENGLAND
The Rev. Robert L. Isaksen, 62, bishop of the ELCA New England Synod, Worcester, Mass., plans to retire at the end of August. He was elected bishop in 1987 and re-elected in 1991 and 1995. His current term was to end in 2001.
Isaksen served as pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and St. Peter Lutheran Church, both in Bronx, N.Y., and Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Baldwin, N.Y. He was coordinator for the Bronx Lutheran Planning Association and served as a mission director for the former American Lutheran Church.
The synod will elect a new bishop June 1-3 at the Sturbridge Host Hotel in Sturbridge, Mass., to take office Sept. 1. In a letter mailed in September to synod congregations, Isaksen announced his retirement and called on Lutherans "to use the time between now and next June as a time of spiritual discernment."
The New England Synod includes more than 75,000 Lutherans in 191 congregations across the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, and three counties of New York.

NEBRASKA
The Rev. Richard N. Jessen, 62, bishop of the ELCA Nebraska Synod, Omaha, Neb., plans to retire at the end of August. He was elected bishop in 1990 to succeed the Rev. Dennis A. Anderson, who became president of Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Jessen was=20 re-elected in 1994 to a six-year term.
"The responsibilities of the office of bishop are heavy enough that I feel a sense of relief simply in making known this decision," Jessen said in an August letter to Nebraska Lutherans. "There is also regret over the prospect of no longer being actively involved in life-giving relationships with so many fine people of faith which God has formed into the Nebraska Synod."
Jessen served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Chicago; Grace Lutheran Church, Champaign, Ill.; Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Ill.; and First Lutheran Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He also served as an assistant to the president of the Illinois Synod of the former Lutheran Church in America. In retirement, Jessen plans to serve as interim pastor of congregations with pastoral vacancies.
A synod assembly June 9-10 at the Sioux Land Conference Center, Marina Inn, South Sioux City, Neb., will elect a bishop to take office Sept. 1. Special meetings will be held at various locations across the state Feb. 26 to nominate candidates for bishop. Nominations will also be accepted at the assembly.
The Nebraska Synod includes more than 128,000 Lutherans in 266 congregations across the state of Nebraska.

DELAWARE-MARYLAND
The Rev. George P. Mocko, bishop of the ELCA Delaware-Maryland Synod, Baltimore, plans to retire at the end of August. He was elected bishop in 1991, succeeding the Rev. Morris G. Zumbrun, and re-elected in 1995 to a term that was to end in 2001.
"After nine years as bishop, after 41 years as an active pastor, approaching my 66th birthday, I have decided to retire a year shy of completing my second elected term," Mocko wrote in December to announce his plans. "The final year would inevitably have been one of 'winding down.' I'd rather leave something charging down the road at full steam."
Mocko was pastor of Jacob's and Outwood Lutheran Churches, Pine Grove, Pa.; St. Mark Lutheran Church, Wilmington, Del., and Ascension Lutheran Church, Towson, Md. "The 41 years have been workaholic years. I want to be a husband, father and grandfather," he wrote.
A synod assembly June 15-17 at Western Maryland College, Westminster, Md., will elect a bishop who will begin a six-year term Sept. 1.
The Delaware-Maryland Synod includes more than 98,000 Lutherans in 189 congregations across Delaware, the city of Baltimore and 18 counties in Maryland, and two counties in Virginia.

CENTRAL-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
The Rev. Alton Zenker, 66, bishop of the ELCA Central-Southern Illinois Synod, Springfield, Ill., plans to retire at the end of August. He was elected in 1994 to a six-year term, succeeding the late John P. Kaitschuk as bishop.
"In many ways the last six years have been the 'best' and the 'worst' of times," Zenker wrote in October to announce his retirement. "I am very grateful for the privilege of serving as your bishop," he wrote. "On the other hand, difficult decisions had to be made which altered the lives of others."
Zenker was pastor of American Lutheran Church, Flasher, N.D.; St. John Lutheran Church, Carson, N.D.; Peace Lutheran Church, Linton, N.D.; and Immanuel Lutheran Church, Thomasboro, Ill. He also served as assistant to the bishop of the Illinois District of the former Americ