CHICAGO (ELCA) – The Rev. Michael K. Girlinghouse, Tulsa, Okla., was re-elected May 5 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly May 5-7 at The Lutheran Ministry Center in Tulsa.
Girlinghouse was re-elected on the first ballot with 81 votes. A total of 68 votes were needed for election.
Girlinghouse has served as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod in Tulsa since 2011. Prior to being elected bishop, he served as pastor of University Lutheran Church and Student Center in Norman, Okla., from 2005 to 2011.
The bishop earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis in 1983 and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1987. The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Information about the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod is available at aokelca.org/home.
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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
