CHICAGO — The Rev. Melissa L. Stoller, Pittsburgh, was elected on June 13 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, June 12-14 at La Roche University in Pittsburgh.
Stoller was elected on the fourth ballot, with 189 votes. The Rev. William Schaefer, pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Latrobe, Pa., and Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Derry, Pa., received 49 votes.
The bishop-elect has served as director for evangelical mission and assistant to the bishop for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod since 2017. Prior to this role, she served as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh (2011-2017); pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cook, Minn. (2005-2010); and intern pastor at the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy in Moscow, Russia (2003-2004). Previously she worked in housing and health care advocacy for the Minnesota Senior Federation.
Stoller earned a Bachelor of Arts in religion and governmental affairs from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1999 and a Master of Divinity from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) in 2005. Augustana is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities, and LSTC is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
She will take office on Sept. 1 and be installed on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Berkeley Hills Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, at 1 p.m.
The Rev. Kurt F. Kusserow will retire Aug. 31 after serving as bishop since 2007.
Information about the Southwestern Pennsylvania 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
