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Who elected Presiding Bishop Liz Eaton Secretary of State for America? ELCA holds the advantage for Thrivent Gift Bags and for Their Clergy Leading Conferences. Someone who looks over the ELCA website will find himself mired in the politics of the State Department, USA. But it is more like St. Peter's throne in Rome - not that he ever lived there - issuing edicts about every country, every policy, another snore-a-thon. However, this is a clear signal, that ELCA loves nothing more than policy, road trips, Marxism, and gender confusion. The Big Five ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) managers offer little more education than the repeat-after-me clergy they manipulate. Anyone who goes beyond collecting Thrivent lessons is considered dangerous and destructive, a special honor considering what they have done to their clergy and schools. The recent letter from a Missouri Synod pastor, tossing angry insults at a faithful member, is a good indication of how the managers operate. The temptation is too great - to sling venom instead of paying attention and answering from the Scriptures and Book of Concord. The Big Five remind me of various Roman Catholic fraternities - such as Opus Dei and the Jesuits - assuming a superior air and malicious tactics. Lutherans have the ALPB Online Ovaltines. Some make sure of listing their special fraternity - the Society of the Holy Trinity - STS - always listed in their signatures. Other groups include the LutherQueasies, who claim they are on a quest, but they have not found Luther yet - nor have they quoted him more than once a year. Steadfast Lutherans and various Facebook beehives have nothing to teach except the Book of Concord - opposing it with their tiny little educations. Everyone would be happy to go these churches, if only they taught the Apostolic New Testament (not the slice and dice modern ones) and actually taught Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz. Yes, I am going too far. However, the more they "improve," the worse it gets.  |
The ELCA Conference of Bishops (COB) met September 26-30 at the Lutheran Center in Chicago. (See the official news release on the ELCA website)
We gathered in rich worship prepared and led by the bishops of Region 3(Tri-otas). We engaged in dialogue around tables around such topics as Eucharist practices, racial and gender justice, candidacy, and Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. The COB received reports from Churchwide staff and COB committees, elected COB Executive Committee and ELCA Church Council liaisons, and spent time in mutual support, fellowship, and collegial community. During these elections, I was elected to serve on the COB Executive Committee for a four-year term and I was elected to represent Region 5 Liason Bishop for the ELCA Church Council (completing a vacated two-year term). I pray that I will faithfully represent our synod and church in these roles.
2023 – 36 of 66 bishops are female (55%)
- Wilma Kucharek (2002)
- Elizabeth Eaton (2007)
- Shelley Wickstrom (2012)
- Ann Svennungsen (2012)
- Tracie Bartholomew (2013)
- Suzanne Darcy Dillahunt (2013)
- Patricia Lull (2014)
- Katherine Finnegan (2017)
- Deborah Hutterer (2018)
- Patricia Davenport (2018)
- Idalia Negrón (2018)
- Laurie Skow-Anderson (2018)
- Sue Briner (2018)
- Lorna Halaas (2019)
- Laurie Larson Caesar (2019)
- Shelley Bryan Wee (2019)
- Regina Hassanally (2019)
- Constanze Hagmaier (2019)
- Laurie Jungling (2019)
- Susan Candea (2019)
- Leila Ortiz (2019)
- Ginny Aebischer (2020 SC)
- Amy Current (2020 SE IA)
- Tessa Moon Leiseth (2020 E ND)
- Amy Odgren (2020 NE MN)
- Joy Mortensen-Wiebe (2020 SC WI)
- Laura Barbins (2020 NE Ohio)
- Anne Edison-Albright (2020 E Central WI)
- Brenda Bos (2021, SW CA)
- Paula Schmitt (2021, Allegheny)
- Dee Pederson (2021, SW MN)
- Staci Fidlar (2022, Northern IL)
- Clair Burkat (2022, Interim Bishop in the Sierra Pacific Synod)
- Meggan Manlove (2023, NW Intermountain)
- Becca Midweek-Conlin (2023, Arkansas/Oklahoma)
- Phyllis Milton (2023, Virginia)
