The Election of a New Bishop

I don't have much information about the Presiding Bishop-elect, Bishop Yehiel Curry.  I do know that many people whom I love and/or respect are overjoyed at his election, so that fact makes me feel some easiness in my soul.  Still, I do not discount the size of the task at hand.

Last night I wrote an e-mail update to the congregation where I serve as Synod Appointed Minister.  I realize that they may not be nearly as interested in this bishop election as I am, but I wanted to update the ones who wanted more information.  My spouse encouraged me to include information/reminders about the fact that I serve at the discretion of the bishop of our synod, and I thought it was a wise suggestion.

Here's what I wrote:

Dear Faith Evangelical Lutheran Members,

I write with good news of our national denomination and its impact on us at the local level. The national church gathers in a Churchwide Assembly every few years to conduct the national business of the church, and this year, a major task was to elect a Presiding Bishop.

I know that it hasn't always been easy to follow the Churchwide Assembly proceedings as they were livestreamed, so I thought I'd write to us all to let us know that Bishop Kevin Strickland, our bishop of the Southeastern Synod, came in second in the election for Presiding Bishop of the ELCA (the national leader of the church), which means he remains our bishop of our synod.

I don't know as much about our bishop-elect, Bishop Yehiel Curry, who comes out of the Chicago Metro Synod, where he is bishop of that synod. But I do know that plenty of people whom I respect are happy that he was elected, which makes me feel like the ELCA will have good leadership.

As I looked at the roster of candidates from the beginning to the end of the election process, I was happy to see such a wide range of faithful people from so many parts of the country, people with all sorts of backgrounds. One must be ordained in Word and Sacrament to be nominated for Bishop, and I was happy to know that so many people are answering God's call this way, both at the individual level and by the willingness to serve on a national level.

I am selfishly happy that Bishop Strickland will continue to be our bishop; he is the one who approves people like me who are serving as Synod Appointed Ministers, and not every bishop would be as supportive as he has been. Had Bishop Strickland been elected Presiding Bishop, a new incoming bishop for our synod might have had very different ideas about who should be leading churches; I serve at the discretion of the bishop, and a new bishop would have been an unknown quantity.

I look forward to seeing what the coming years will bring for the ELCA, on both the national and local levels. I know that the world needs the kind of vision that churches like ours have for the future, and I look forward to hearing more from our new Presiding Bishop-elect.

Peace,
Minister Kristin