CHICAGO – The Rev. William “Bill” Tesch was reelected May 31 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 31–June 1 at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.
Tesch was reelected on the first ballot, with 263 votes, representing the required 75% of the legal ballots cast.
Tesch was elected bishop of the synod in 2019. Previously he had served as director for evangelical mission with the ELCA South Dakota Synod (2009-2019); assistant to the synod bishop (2007-2009); pastor of Messiah New Hope Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, S.D. (1992-2007); and pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Madison, S.D. (1989-1992).
Tesch received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1984 and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 1989. Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
Information about the ELCA Northwestern Minnesota 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
