CHICAGO – The Rev. R. Guy Erwin was elected May 31 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, held May 30 – June 1 at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.
Erwin was elected on the third ballot, with 208 votes. A total of 196 votes were needed for election. He was first elected in 2013.
Prior to becoming bishop, Erwin served as the Gerhard and Olga Belgum Chair in Lutheran Confessional Theology at California Lutheran, one of the ELCA's 27 colleges and universities. He also served as part-time interim pastor of Living Faith Lutheran Church in Santa Clarita; St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in West Los Angeles; and Faith Lutheran in Canoga Park, all in California.
Erwin received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., in 1980 and a doctorate degree at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., in 1990.
Information about the ELCA Southwest California Synod is available at www.socalsynod.org//.
- - -
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
