by Katherine Hinck*, ELCA News Service
The Rev. Warren D. Freiheit was elected to a second six-year term
as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod
assembly June 8-10 in Springfield, Ill. Freiheit, 58, was re-
elected June 9 on the first ballot for bishop with 294 of 385
votes. The next highest vote totals on the final first ballot
were 21 votes for the Rev. William J. Shields, First Lutheran
Church, Pontiac, Ill.; and 12 votes for the Rev. S. John Roth,
Faith Lutheran Church, Jacksonville, Ill. There were 33 nominees
on the first or nominating ballot.
Born in Preston, Minn., Freiheit graduated from Wartburg College,
Waverly, Iowa, and earned a master of divinity degree from Luther
Seminary, St. Paul, Minn. Wartburg is one of 28 colleges and
universities of the ELCA; Luther is one of eight ELCA
seminaries. Ordained in 1974, he served as pastor of Immanuel
Lutheran Church, Lincoln, Ill.; the Lutheran Church of the
Resurrection, Oak Forest, Ill.; and First English Lutheran
Church, Peoria, Ill. Freiheit was first elected bishop in 2000,
succeeding the Rev. Alton Zenker, who retired. Freiheit and his
wife Sandra are the parents of two grown daughters and reside in
Chatham, Ill.
The ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod includes 58,888 baptized
members in 154 congregations in 76 of Illinois' 102 counties.
The synod office is in Springfield.
*Katherine R. Hinck is a senior journalism and religion major at
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer she is an
intern with the ELCA News Service.
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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
