CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Terry A. Brandt, Fargo, N.D., was elected May 11 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the Synod Assembly May 10-11 in Grand Forks, N.D.
For the past six years, Brandt has served as associate with the bishop of the ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod. He succeeds the Rev. William E. Rindy, who chose not to seek a second term as bishop.
Brandt was elected on the fourth ballot, receiving 271 of the 363 votes cast. Remaining on the final ballot were the Rev. Roger H. Dykstra, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, with 65 votes, and the Rev. Lynn R. Ronsberg, directing pastor of Sharon Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, with 27 votes.
Prior to serving as synod staff, Brandt was pastor of ELCA congregations in Minnesota -- Grace Lutheran Church in Fairmont, Clarkfield Lutheran Church in Clarkfield, and a two-point parish in Alberta. He received a Master of Divinity degree in 1997 from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., and a bachelor's degree in 1993 from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. Luther is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Brandt and his wife, Kristi, a high school principal, have three children.
Information about the ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod, based in Fargo, is available at http://www.eandsynod.org.
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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
