CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul A. Ranum, Starbuck, Minn., will become interim bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Nov. 1. Ranum was appointed by the synod council Sept. 13, and will serve until a new bishop is elected when the synod assembly meets June 13-15, 2003, at St. Peter, Minn.
Ranum will succeed the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, who will resign as bishop effective Oct. 31 to become executive director of the ELCA Division for Ministry. Olson has served as bishop of the synod since 1994.
Ranum, 73, retired from the active ministry in 1994 after serving six years as a synod minister on the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod staff and 10 years before that in a similar role with the Southwestern Minnesota District of the former American Lutheran Church, an ELCA predecessor church body.
"Pastor Ranum brings energy, eagerness and a wealth of gifts from his previous experience on the synod staff," said Gwen Arneson, synod vice president.
"I have great confidence in the synod staff, and it will be exciting to work with them," said Ranum, who added that he is looking forward to the challenges of serving as interim bishop. He said he is well acquainted with the synod from his previous experience on both the synod and district staffs.
Ranum was born in Starbuck. In 1952 he earned a bachelor's degree in biology and mathematics from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities. In 1956 he earned a master of divinity from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Following his ordination in 1956, he was pastor of American Lutheran Church, Newport, Wash., and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Spirit Lake, Idaho. In 1962, he became pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Laurel, Mont. From 1969 to 1979 he was pastor of Bethesda Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Minn., and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Nelson, Minn. In 1979 he became assistant to the bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota District before joining the Southwestern Minnesota Synod staff in 1988.
Ranum and his wife Sylvia are members of Indherred Lutheran Church, Starbuck. They are the parents of four grown children: the Rev. Eric P. Ranum, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Gretchen Poffenberger, St. Charles, Ill.; Heidi Johnson, Sumner, Wash.; and Ingrid Ranum, River Forest, Ill.
The ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod has 140,364 members in 278 congregations. The synod office is in Redwood Falls, Minn. ---
Note: Spellings are correct for Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Spirit Lake, Idaho; Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Laurel, Mont.; and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Nelson, Minn.
Additional information about the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod can be found at www.swmnelca.org on the Web.
* The Rev. Marcus R. Kunz is synod minister for the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
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
