CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Duane C. Pederson, senior pastor,
First Lutheran Church, Eau Claire, Wis., was elected June 2 to a
six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Synod of Wisconsin of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Pederson, 52,
was elected on the fifth ballot for bishop, 329-126 over the Rev.
Gary A. Hedding, assistant to the bishop, ELCA Northwest Synod of
Wisconsin.
Pederson will succeed the Rev. Robert D. Berg, who
previously announced he would not be available for re-election.
Berg will become assistant to the president for church relations,
ELCA Board of Pensions, Minneapolis, on Aug. 1. Berg, 59, has
been serving as bishop of the synod since 1995.
Pederson led on the fourth ballot with 286 votes. Hedding
received 131 votes, and the Rev. Richard J. Bruesehoff, director
for lifelong learning, ELCA Vocation and Education, received 63
votes. There were 95 names on the first or nominating ballot.
Pederson will assume his new role as bishop on Aug. 1. He
will be installed on Aug. 26 at the University of Wisconsin,
Barron County campus, Rice Lake.
Born in Kalispell, Mont., Pederson received a bachelor's
degree in 1977 from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. In 1981
he received a master of divinity degree from Luther Theological
Seminary (now Luther Seminary), St. Paul, Minn. In 1984 he
received a master of education in counseling from Montana State
University, Bozeman, and in 1991 he received a doctorate in
organizational development from McCormick Theological Seminary,
Chicago. Concordia College is one of 28 ELCA colleges and
universities; Luther Seminary is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Pederson served congregations in Bozeman and Chicago before
he became pastor at First Lutheran Church.
Pederson and his wife Sylvia are parents of two adult
children. The Pedersons reside in Eau Claire.
The ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin has 106,344 baptized
members in 210 congregations. The synod office is in Rice Lake.
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Information about the ELCA Northwest Wisconsin Synod is at
http://nwsynod-wisconsin.org on the Web.
* Sue Hildebrand, editor of the ELCA Northwest Synod of Wisconsin
newsletter, provided information.
* Lauren A. Lamb is a senior public relations and speech
communication major at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
This summer she is an intern with the ELCA News Service.
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
