CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul W. Stumme-Diers announced that he
will resign as bishop of the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Sept. 30, and has accepted a
call as pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church, Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Stumme-Diers, 48, was first elected to a six-year term as bishop in
2002 and was re-elected in 2008.
In an Aug. 9 letter to pastors of the synod, Stumme-Diers said that
he has felt a call to congregational ministry since his election as synod
bishop.
"Every bishop in the church is foremost a pastor," Stumme-Diers said
in the letter. "When elected to the office of bishop, or when assuming
any specialized ministry, this role of pastor takes a different shape,
but there is always the love of the parish that tugs at us as we conduct
our ministry."
Bethany Lutheran Church is on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound
west of Seattle. The congregation has 480 baptized members and a weekly
attendance of nearly 200.
Stumme-Diers was born in Waverly, Iowa. He earned a bachelor's
degree in 1982 from Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash., in
government and political science. He graduated from Wartburg Theological
Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, in 1988 with a master of divinity in parish
ministry. Pacific Lutheran is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities.
Wartburg is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Before being elected bishop, Stumme-Diers served as pastor at
Resurrection Lutheran Church. New Berlin, Wis., and All Saints Lutheran
Church, Wales, Wis.
Stumme-Diers has served as chair of the Interfaith Conference of
Greater Milwaukee since 2006, the convener of the ELCA Conference of
Bishops' special interest committee on immigration since its formation in
2005 and as chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops Ministry Among People
in Poverty Committee since 2003. He also serves on the boards of
Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin, based in Marquette, Mich. and
Upper Michigan, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wis., and Wartburg College,
Waverly, Iowa. Carthage and Wartburg are ELCA colleges.
Stumme-Diers is married to the Rev. Laurie K. Stumme-Diers, pastor
of Cross Lutheran Church, Ixonia, Wis. Laurie Stumme-Diers will resign
as pastor of Cross Lutheran. The couple has one adult daughter and a 17-
year-old son.
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, and the Greater
Milwaukee Synod Council will determine an interim bishop to serve the
synod until a special assembly to elects a new bishop in December.
The ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod has 91,000 baptized members and 137
congregations in the Greater Milwaukee Area.
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Information about the ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod is at
http://www.milwaukeesynod.org/ on the Web.
Information about ELCA Colleges and Universities is at
http://www.ELCA.org/colleges on the Web.
Information for this release was provided by the ELCA Greater
Milwaukee Synod.
* Carrie L. Draeger is a senior communication major with a concentration
in journalism at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash. 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
