Let Us Pray for Our Bishops
This week, Bishop Anne travels to Chicago to participate in the Conference of Bishops. The Conference of Bishops is composed of all 65 synod bishops from across the ELCA, the Secretary of the ELCA, and the Presiding Bishop. They gather in person twice a year. In addition to collegial support, they gather to influence each other and the wider church.
From www.elca.org, “While primarily advisory, the role of the Conference of Bishops is significant within the life of this church. The conference elects its own officers, has standing committees and a representative to each ELCA churchwide unit and separately incorporated ministry. The conference has a particular role in matters related to rostered ministers and also reviewing proposals before they are passed along to the ELCA Church Council for adoption.”
This year, five new bishops were elected.
The Rev. Jeff R. Johnson, Berkeley, Calif., was elected Sept. 17 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod.
The Rev. Rebecca Middeke-Conlin, Tulsa, Okla., was elected May 7 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma.
The Rev. Meggan H. Manlove, Nampa, Idaho, was elected April 29 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Intermountain Synod.
The Rev. Greg Busboom, Springfield, Ill., was elected June 3 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod.
The Rev. Dr. Phyllis Blair Milton, Portsmouth, Va., was elected June 11 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Virginia Synod.
Please hold these leaders, their families, their staff teams, and their synods in your prayers. Please also pray for the conference of bishops, that God’s will may be done through their voices, relationships, and deliberations.
