By Carrie L. Draeger, ELCA News Service*
The Rev. Jon V. Anderson was elected June 12 to a
second term as bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota
Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA). Anderson was re-elected on the first ballot
for bishop, receiving 488 of the 623 votes cast at
the synod assembly at Gustavus Adolphus College,
St. Peter, Minn. The other 135 votes were cast for
the Rev. Scott M. Grorud, a pastor at Faith Lutheran
Church, Hutchinson, Minn. Gustavus Adolphus is one
of 28 ELCA colleges and universities. Anderson and
Grorud were the only nominees.
Anderson, 49, was born in Glenwood, Minn. He earned
a bachelor's degree in religion from St. Olaf College,
Northfield, Minn., in 1981. Anderson earned a master
of divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul,
Minn., in 1985. St. Olaf College is one of 28 ELCA
colleges and universities; Luther Seminary is one of
eight ELCA seminaries. Anderson served as a pastor
of Lutheran congregations in New Ulm, Minn., St. Cloud,
Minn., and as an associate pastor in Houston before
being elected bishop in 2003.
Anderson and his wife Robyn are parents of three
children and live in New Ulm, Minn. The Southwestern
Minnesota Synod has 133,094 baptized members in 269
congregations. The synod office is in Redwood Falls,
Minn.
* 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.
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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
