ELCA Press Releases

The Rev. Jennifer Dee, Robesonia, Pa., was elected June 6 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, June 4-6 at Split Rock Resort in Lake Harmony, Pa.

‍

The Rev. Erik Christensen, Chicago, Ill., was elected June 6 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, June 5-6 at the Q Center in St. Charles, Ill.

‍

The Rev. Anne Edison-Albright, Appleton, Wis., was reelected June 5 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, June 4-6 at the Oshkosh Marriot Waterfront Hotel & Convention Center in Oshkosh, Wis.

‍

The Rev. Lisa Lewton, Dickinson, N.D., was elected May 31 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Western North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 29-31 at the Rough Rider Center in Watford City, N.D.

‍

Rahel Mwitula Williams has been appointed executive director for the Innovation unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

‍

Presiding Bishop Curry has issued his first entry in a series of monthly messages through the end of this year called "All Together in One Place." Each message will share a pastoral word, rooted in Scripture, that witnesses to God’s presence today, our rich theological tradition and the social teaching that connects us.

‍

‍

‍

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has received a $1.2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative Hope After the Storm: Capacity Building for Faith-Based Disaster Relief Organizations. The grant will enable Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) to strengthen its capacity to support communities through sustained, long-term recovery.

‍

We grieve with heavy hearts following the deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego earlier this week. In a place devoted to prayer and community, three lives were taken in an act of violence that authorities are investigating as a hate crime.

‍

The Rev. Justin Grimm, St. Paul, Minn., was elected May 16 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 15-16 at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Mahtomedi, Minn.

‍

The Rev. Joy Mortensen-Wiebe, Madison, Wis., was reelected May 16 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 15-16 at Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center in Janesville, Wis.

‍

The Rev. Amy Current, Mount Vernon, Iowa, was reelected May 15 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 15-16 at First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

‍

The Rev. Taryn Montgomery, Duluth, Minn., was elected April 25 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, April 24-26 at Breezy Point Resort in Breezy Point, Minn.

‍

Four leaders from ministries across the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) share how their faith journeys intersect with their commitment to creation care in the seven-part short film series “Caring for the Earth: Stories From Faith Communities.” The free-to-access series premieres online April 25 as part of this year’s National Faith + Climate Forum.

‍

The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) met electronically on April 16. The council, which serves as the ELCA’s board of directors, took action on a variety of matters intended to advance the ministry and witness of this church.

‍

The ELCA Church Council has elected Rachel Wind as the ELCA churchwide organization’s executive for administration, a position whose term coincides with that of the presiding bishop.

‍

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has received a generous grant for ongoing support of Total Inclusion!: Widening the Welcome at ELCA Outdoor Ministries. The program, a collaboration of the ELCA churchwide organization and the Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Network (LOM), equips and empowers outdoor ministry organizations as they move toward more intentional welcome of all youth, including those who historically have been marginalized in the church — especially youth of color, youth with disabilities and youth who identify as LGBTQIA+.

‍

This Easter Sunday, we celebrated the good news by proclaiming “Alleluia!” for the first time since Ash Wednesday. In four short syllables, that word — “Alleluia!” — encompasses all our joy in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To a world beset by fear and violence, it is a bold declaration of faith in God’s promise that sin and death will not have the final say.

Yet there are times when “alleluia” springs forth not as a shout but as an anguished whisper, an expression of our yearning for the fulfillment of that promise. Even as the church celebrates Easter, we remember many among us who still long for the church to bear witness to that promise.

‍

The Rev. Craig Schweitzer has been appointed to a four-year, renewable term as executive director for the Christian Community and Leadership unit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

‍

In his Easter video message, Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry says that even though we consider ourselves to be an Easter church, we must remember that we are also a Lenten church, living in uncertainty, waiting and hoping for renewal.

‍

Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility — a time dedicated to celebrating the lives, gifts and contributions of transgender people, while also recognizing their ongoing struggle for safety, dignity and justice.

‍