PITTSBURGH (ELCA) - The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Northeastern Ohio Synod,
was elected Aug. 14 presiding bishop of the ELCA at the 2013 ELCA
Churchwide Assembly. She was elected on the fifth ballot. There were 889
votes cast, and 445 votes were needed for an election. Eaton received 600
votes and the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, received 287.
Eaton is the ELCA's first woman presiding bishop-elect.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the
ELCA, is meeting here Aug. 12-17 at the David L. Lawrence Convention
Center. The theme for the triennial assembly is “Always being made new.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of this church.
“We are a church that is overwhelmingly European in a culture that
is increasingly pluralistic. We need to welcome the gifts of those who
come from different places, that is a conversation we need to have as a
church,” Eaton told the assembly shortly after the election.
Prior to becoming synod bishop, Eaton served as pastor for ELCA
congregations in Ohio. She earned a Master’s of divinity degree from
Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., and a Bachelor’s degree in
music education from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.
An assembly schedule is available at www.ELCA.org/assembly and up-to-
the minute news entries at http://blogs.ELCA.org/assemblynews.
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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
