CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Rolf P. Wangberg, interim pastor, Grace Lutheran Church, Ada, Minn., was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) June 10 when the synod met in assembly at Trinity Lutheran Church and Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.
Wangberg will succeed the Rev. Arlen D. Hermodson as bishop on Sept. 1. Hermodson, 64, had announced he would not seek re-election as bishop. He is considering several opportunities for the future of his ministry.
On the assembly's fifth ballot for bishop, Wangberg received 331 votes to 320 for the Rev. Charles R. (Chick) Lane, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod. The Rev. Larry A. Gedde, Hawley Lutheran Parish, Hawley, Minn., was also a candidate on the assembly's fourth ballot. There were 98 names on the nominating ballot.
Born in Omaha, Neb., Wangberg, 55, is a graduate of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, and Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Ordained in 1971, he has served as pastor of Lake Andes Lutheran Parish, Lake Andes, S.D.; Zion Lutheran Church, International Falls, Minn.; and Underwood Lutheran Parish, Underwood, Minn.
Wangberg has served the synod as an interim pastor since 1994. He is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, and will be installed as bishop Oct. 20 at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead.
Wangberg and his wife Pat are the parents of four children and have one grandchild.
The Northwestern Minnesota Synod includes 112,767 Lutherans in 285 congregations in 21 northwest Minnesota counties. The synod office is on the campus of Concordia College, a college of the ELCA. -- -- -- [*Stevie Mathre is director of communication for the Northwestern 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 2.8 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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