Olsen Named Interim Bishop of ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA) Southeast Michigan Synod Council, in consultation with the
ELCA presiding bishop, named the Rev. Kenneth R. Olsen to serve
as its interim bishop, following the Aug. 16 death of its bishop,
the Rev. John H.K. Schreiber, and until the synod elects its next
bishop. The synod council will meet Oct. 25 to discuss the
process of selecting a new bishop.
Olsen served as interim bishop of the ELCA Southeast
Michigan Synod prior to Schreiber becoming bishop in 2006. Olsen
was bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod from 1995 to
2001. He is a regional representative for the ELCA Board of
Pensions, Minneapolis.
"Needless to say, it is not an easy transition for any of
us, with the sudden and unanticipated death of your beloved
bishop, John Schreiber," Olsen wrote in a newsletter to the ELCA
Southeast Michigan Synod.
"I had a great appreciation, as you did, for the work that
Bishop Schreiber accomplished in the relatively short term that
he served. I have seen dramatic changes in the relations that he
built between the synod and congregations," Olsen wrote.
"One of the many blessings that he gave us was an
exceptional synod staff that has stepped into this giant void and
continued the work of ministry without hesitation. They are
doing this ministry despite the grief and heavy hearts that they
bring to their work every day," Olsen wrote.
Born in Chicago in 1936, Olsen is a graduate of Northwestern
University, Evanston, Ill., and the Lutheran School of Theology,
Maywood, Ill. The Maywood school became part of the Lutheran
School of Theology at Chicago, one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Ordained in 1962, Olsen was pastor of Redeemer Lutheran
Church, Aurora, Ill., and St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wheaton,
Ill., while editing news for the Illinois Synod of the former
Lutheran Church in America. He served as stewardship director
for that synod before joining the staff of the ELCA Commission
for Financial Support.
The ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod consists of nearly 60,000
baptized members in 132 congregations across 10 Michigan
counties. The synod office is in Detroit.
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The home page of the ELCA Southeast Michigan Synod is at
http://www.metrodetroitELCA.org/home.htm on the Web.
Information about the Rev. John H.K. Schreiber is at
http://archive.ELCA.org/news/releases.asp?a=3943 on the ELCA Web
site.

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