CHICAGO — The Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee was reelected May 16 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 16-17 at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Wash.
Bryan Wee was reelected on the second ballot, with 215 votes. The Rev. Priscilla Paris-Austin, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle, Wash., received 105 votes.
Bryan Wee was elected bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod in 2019. Previously she served as assistant to the bishop (2017-2019); pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney, Wash. (2016-2017); campus pastor at Eastern Washington University in Cheney (2009-2017); pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Spokane, Wash. (1997-2009); and pastor of Jocko Valley Lutheran Church in Arlee, Mont. (1993-1997).
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in communication arts-public relations from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., in 1988 and a Master of Divinity from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary (now Luther Seminary) in St. Paul, Minn., in 1993. Pacific Lutheran University is one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities, and Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
Information about the Northwest Washington 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
