Katrina Foster Elected Bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod

CHICAGO — The Rev. Dr. Katrina Foster, New York, N.Y., was elected May 3 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 2-3 at the Marriott Melville Long Island hotel in New York, N.Y.

Foster was elected on the fifth ballot, with 196 votes. The Rev. Stephanie Jaeger, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in New York, N.Y., received 144 votes.

The bishop-elect has served as pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church in New York City since 2015. Previously Foster served as pastor of St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Amagansett, N.Y., from 2010 to 2015, and as pastor of Fordham Lutheran Church in New York City from 1994 to 2010.

Foster earned a Bachelor of Arts from Newberry College in Newberry, S.C., in 1990; a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., in 1994; and a Doctor of Ministry from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP) in 2008. LTSP merged with Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in 2017 to form United Lutheran Seminary. Newberry is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities, and United is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

The Rev. Paul Egensteiner is returning to congregational ministry after serving as synod bishop since 2019.

Information about the Metropolitan New York Synod is available at their website.