Morton To Lead ELCA Federal Chaplaincy Ministries

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Darrell D. Morton, Woodbridge,
Va., will become assistant to the presiding bishop for Federal
Chaplaincies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
on July 1.
Morton, 59, succeeds the Rev. Lloyd W. Lyngdal, who retired
Nov. 30, 2003. Lyngdal served as assistant for federal
chaplaincies since Jan. 1, 1988, the date the ELCA came into
existence. The Rev. Ivan G. Ives, chaplain (Col.), U.S. Army,
Ret., is serving as interim assistant.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA,
appointed Morton and made the announcement at an ELCA Church
Council meeting here April 9-11. The council is the ELCA's board
of directors.
"Chaplain Darrell Morton brings to this position over 25
years of experience in service to this church as an ordained
pastor and a chaplain in the United States Air Force. He has a
passion for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with men and women
in the military, a commitment to assist the congregations of the
church in supporting those who serve and their families, and a
breadth of experience with several branches of federal and
military service," Hanson said. "I am delighted that he has
accepted this call and look forward to having him as a
colleague."
Since 2002 Morton served as chief of personnel and
readiness, Office of the Air Force Chief of Chaplains,
Washington, D.C. He serves as chair of the Ethics Advisory
Committee to the Air Force Chief of Chaplains, and represents the
Air Force on the Personnel Advisory Group of the Armed Forces
Chaplains Board -- an organization that advises the U.S.
Secretary of Defense.
For the past 28 years Morton served as a pastor in the
Lutheran church and as an active duty chaplain for about 25
years. He is on the clergy roster of the ELCA Metropolitan
Washington, D.C., Synod and is a member of St. Matthews Lutheran
Church, Lakeridge, Va.
Morton graduated from California State University, Los
Angeles, in 1971. He earned a master of divinity degree from
Lutheran Brethren Seminary, Fergus Falls, Minn., in 1975, and
became certified for ordination in the ELCA at Luther Seminary,
St. Paul, in 1977. Luther is one of eight seminaries of the
ELCA. Morton and his wife Wendy have four adult children.
"I am committed to the ministries of the ELCA and its
provision of ministry to our Lutheran people who serve the
military," said Morton.
"The smaller number of Lutheran pastors being accessed into
the active duty chaplaincy makes it imperative for us as a church
to more aggressively recruit women and men into the chaplaincies
of the armed services. The military recruiters are anxious to
receive our people; they are recognized for the quality ministry
they bring," he said.
The ELCA Department for Synodical Relations oversees the
work of the ELCA Bureau for Federal Chaplaincy Ministries, which
provides support for the ELCA's 400 active duty and reserve
military chaplains, as well as 130 clergy in other federal
chaplaincies. The bureau is based in Washington, D.C.
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Information about the ELCA Bureau for Federal Chaplaincy
Ministries is available at http://www.elca.org/federalchaplains
on the Internet.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news