CHICAGO — The Rev. Benjamin K. Quanbeck, Billings, Mont., was elected May 31 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Montana Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 30-31 at the Heritage Inn in Great Falls, Mont.
Quanbeck was elected on the fifth ballot, with 105 votes. The Rev. Laurie Jungling, current bishop of the synod, received 74 votes.
The bishop-elect has served as a pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Billings since 2013. From 2008 to 2011, Quanbeck served as associate pastor of Mountain View Lutheran Church in Edgewood, Wash.
Quanbeck earned a Bachelor of Science from North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., in 2002 and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 2008. Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
He will take office Sept. 1 and be installed Sept. 20.
Jungling has served as synod bishop since 2019.
Information about the Montana Synod is available here.
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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
