Laura Barbins Reelected Bishop of ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod

CHICAGO — The Rev. Laura Barbins, Mentor, Ohio, was reelected June 6 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, June 5-6 at the John S. Knight Center in Akron, Ohio.

The bishop was reelected on the fourth ballot, with 149 votes. The Rev. Jessica Shields, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, received 54 votes. A total of 146 votes was needed for election.

Barbins has served as the synod’s bishop since 2020. She served as pastor of Celebration Lutheran Church in Chardon, Ohio, from 2001 to 2020 and as adjunct faculty at Trinity Lutheran Seminary at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, from 2018 to 2020. Trinity is one of seven ELCA seminaries. Barbins served as interim pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Fairview Park, Ohio, from 1999 to 2000 and as associate pastor for youth at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tenn., from 1995 to 1997.

Barbins received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Roanoke College in Salem, Va., in 1990 and a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (now United Lutheran Seminary) in Gettysburg, Pa., in 1994. Roanoke is one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities, and United is an ELCA seminary. Barbins received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 2004.

Learn more about the Northeastern Ohio Synod.

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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 8,300 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean. 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

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