ELCIC elects new leader

Published July 3, 2007

Johnson

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) made history at its June national convention by electing its first woman national bishop – Rev. Susan Johnson, currently assistant bishop of the Eastern Synod.

Delegates at the 11th biennial National Convention of the ELCIC, held in Winnipeg, elected Bishop-elect Johnson on the sixth ballot on June 22.

She will succeed National Bishop Raymond Schultz, who will retire in September.

It was not the first time that Bishop-elect Johnson was nominated for the position of ELCIC national bishop. In the 2001 election, she came in second to Bishop Schultz, who was elected to his first term. (Bishop Schultz was elected for a second four-year term in 2005, but announced his retirement halfway through the term, citing personal and health reasons.)

Bishop-elect Johnson has been involved with the church on a national level – from 2001 to 2005 she served as vice-president of the ELCIC. She has also served as an advisor to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Council since 1998, and as a member of the North American Regional Committee for LWF since 2005. She has also been on the Leadership Development Task Force from 2005-2006 and on a variety of boards and committees both at the national and synodical level.

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