CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. H. Julian Gordy, St. Andrew
Lutheran Church, Franklin, Tenn., was elected June 3 to a six-
year term as bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly June 1-3
in Atlanta. Gordy, 56, was elected on the fifth ballot, 286-173
over the Rev. David F. Keener, Christ the King Lutheran Church,
Evans, Ga.
Gordy will succeed the Rev. Ronald B. Warren, 62, who served
as bishop of the synod since 1995. Warren had planned to retire
following his second term as bishop but accepted a call to join
Lutheran Disaster Response, a collaborative ministry of the ELCA
and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Gordy led on the fourth ballot with 197 votes. Keener
received 149 votes, and the Rev. Gary C. Christensen, mission
director, ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission,
Norcross, Ga., received 113 votes. There were 60 names on the
first or nominating ballot.
Gordy will assume his new role as bishop on Sept. 1. He
will be installed on Oct. 13 at Roswell United Methodist Church,
Roswell, Ga.
Born in Newnan, Ga., Gordy earned a bachelor's degree from
Mercer University, Macon, Ga., in 1972, and he earned a master of
divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
(LTSS), Columbia, S.C., in 1985. LTSS is one of eight seminaries
of the ELCA. Gordy served as pastor of congregations in Franklin
and Morristown, Tenn., and Ocean Springs, Miss.
Gordy and his wife, P. Morgan Gordy, an ELCA diaconal
minister, are parents of four adult children. They reside in
Franklin, Tenn.
The ELCA Southeastern Synod has more than 62,000 baptized
members in 171 congregations in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and
Tennessee. The synod office is in Atlanta.
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Information about the ELCA Southeastern Synod is at
http://www.ELCA-ses.org on the Web.
*Elaine Schwartz, director of communication for the ELCA
Southeastern Synod, provided information.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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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.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
