CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. George G. Carlson, 59, was elected to a six-year term June 2 as bishop of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Carlson is pastor at Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mt. Horeb, Wis.
Carlson was elected over the incumbent bishop, the Rev. Jon S. Enslin, at the synod assembly May 31-June 2 in Fontana, Wis.
Carlson was elected on the fifth ballot, 196-192, over Enslin. Enslin led on the fourth ballot with 193 votes, over Carlson with 120 votes, and the Rev. Richard O. Blomker, Lake Edge Lutheran Church, Madison, Wis., with 68 votes. There were 53 nominees who received votes on the first ballot.
Carlson will assume the bishop's role Aug. 1. Enslin, 63, has been bishop of the synod since 1991.
"You altered my plans for the summer, but you haven't altered my respect for what Jon has done as bishop," Carlson said to the assembly following the election. He asked the assembly for a moment of silent prayer for Enslin, his wife Crystal, and the synod staff.
Enslin thanked the assembly for the privilege of serving as bishop. "You have enabled me to be in places I have never been, to observe things I had never seen. I love this synod, and I love this church," he said.
Carlson, who was born in Grinnell, Iowa, received a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, and a master of divinity from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., an ELCA seminary. He was ordained in 1971.
Before he was pastor of Evangelical Lutheran Church, Carlson was executive director at Lutherdale Bible Camp, Elkhorn, Wis. He previously served as pastor at Hope Lutheran Church, Milton, Wis., and St. Mary's Lutheran Church, Kenosha, Wis.
Carlson and his wife, Solveig, are parents of three adult children.
The ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin has 110,738 members in 152 congregations. Its offices are in Madison. -- -- -- [*Debra Illingworth Greene is synod supplement editor for The Lutheran, the magazine of the ELCA, and newsletter editor for the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin.]
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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.
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