CHICAGO — The Rev. Yehiel Curry will be installed as presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 2 p.m. Central time at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minn. Curry will be the first Black presiding bishop of the ELCA.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton will preside at the installation and present Curry with the pectoral cross, the common symbol of the office of bishop in the ELCA.
The Rev. Kevin Vandiver, senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, D.C., will deliver the sermon. Members of the ELCA Conference of Bishops and other invited leaders will participate in the processional.
In celebration of the ELCA’s many partnerships, several ecumenical, interreligious and global partner representatives are invited, including the Rev. Henrik Stubkjaer, president of the Lutheran World Federation; the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church; the Rev. Jihyun Oh, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); and the Rev. Larry Kochendorfer, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.
Music leadership for the worship service includes the National Lutheran Choir and musicians from St. Olaf College and the ELCA Metropolitan Chicago Synod.
The installation is a public worship service, open to all who wish to attend. The service will also be available via livestream.
Curry was elected to serve a six-year term as presiding bishop on July 30, during the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix. He has served as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 2019 and previously served as mission developer (2009-2012) and pastor (2012-2019) of Shekinah Chapel in Riverdale, Ill. Curry’s first day in office will be Oct. 1.
Curry received a Bachelor of Arts from Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., in 1995 and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) in 2013. LSTC is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
More information about the installation service 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 2.7 million members in more than 8,400 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
