by Melissa Ramirez Cooper*, ELCA News Service
The Rev. Craig E. Johnson was elected June 1 to a second six-year
term as bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly May 31-
June 2 in St. Peter, Minn. Johnson, 59, was re-elected on the
first ballot with 449 votes to 51 for the Rev. Susan L. Engh,
Wayzata, Minn. There were 22 names on the first or nominating
ballot. Johnson's new term begins Aug. 1.
Born in St. Croix Falls, Wis., Johnson is a graduate of Gustavus
Adolphus College, St. Peter, and Northwestern Theological
Seminary, Minneapolis (now Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.). He
was associate vice president for church relations at Gustavus
Adolphus from 1996 to 2001. From 1973 to 1996 Johnson served as
pastor of Nativity Lutheran Church, Shreveport, La.; Mount Olivet
Lutheran Church, Minneapolis; and Transfiguration Lutheran
Church, Bloomington, Minn. Gustavus Adolphus is one of 28
college and universities of the ELCA; Luther is one of eight ELCA
seminaries.
Johnson and his wife Cynthia (Cindy) are the parents of three
children.
The ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod has 230,000 members in 175
congregations across seven Minnesota counties. The synod office
is in Minneapolis.
* Danette M. Griffith, director of communication, ELCA
Minneapolis Area Synod, provided information.
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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
