CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. David L. Tiede, president of Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., has been elected to a two-year term as president of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS). Tiede was elected at ATS' biennial meeting June 22-24 in Pittsburgh.
ATS functions as an accrediting agency that promotes the improvement and enhancement of 244 theological schools and "acts as a coach and mentor for presidents and deans at these schools," said Tiede. All eight ELCA seminaries -- including Luther Seminary -- are accredited by ATS.
"The Lutheran seminary system stands out as very positive in this community of schools," said Tiede.
This is the second time in ATS history that a Lutheran has been president. The Rev. Conrad L. Bergendoff, then-president of Augustana Seminary, Rock Island, Ill., and ELCA pastor, was the first Lutheran ATS president. Bergendoff died Dec. 23, 1997, at the age of 102. Augustana Seminary is now part of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC), an ELCA seminary.
Tiede succeeds the Rev. Martha J. Horne, dean and president of The Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, Alexandria, Va.
Tiede is the longest-serving president of an ELCA seminary. He started at Luther Seminary as a faculty member in 1971 and in 1987 he assumed the role of president.
Tiede earned a bachelor of arts degree from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., and a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary. He also earned a doctoral degree in New Testament studies from Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. St. Olaf College is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities.
Tiede and his wife, Martha, have two grown children. -- -- *Amy Wineinger is a junior at Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa. This summer she is an intern with ELCA News and Media Production.
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.
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