Title: Paul Ranum Named Interim Bishop of Southwestern Minnesota
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 17, 2002

PAUL RANUM NAMED INTERIM BISHOP OF SOUTHWESTERN MINNESOTA
02-JB/MK*

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Paul A. Ranum, Starbuck, Minn., will
become interim bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), effective Nov. 1.
Ranum was appointed by the synod council Sept. 13, and will serve
until a new bishop is elected when the synod assembly meets June
13-15, 2003, at St. Peter, Minn.
     Ranum will succeed the Rev. Stanley N. Olson, who will resign
as bishop effective Oct. 31 to become executive director of the ELCA
Division for Ministry.  Olson has served as bishop of the synod since
1994.
     Ranum, 73, retired from the active ministry in 1994 after
serving six years as a synod minister on the ELCA Southwestern
Minnesota Synod staff and 10 years before that in a similar role with
the Southwestern Minnesota District of the former American Lutheran
Church, an ELCA predecessor church body.
     "Pastor Ranum brings energy, eagerness and a wealth of gifts
from his previous experience on the synod staff," said Gwen Arneson,
synod vice president.
     "I have great confidence in the synod staff, and it will be
exciting to work with them," said Ranum, who added that he is looking
forward to the challenges of serving as interim bishop.  He said he
is well acquainted with the synod from his previous experience on
both the synod and district staffs.
     Ranum was born in Starbuck.  In 1952 he earned a bachelor's
degree in biology and mathematics from Luther College, Decorah, Iowa,
one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities.  In 1956 he earned a master
of divinity from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn., one of eight ELCA
seminaries.
     Following his ordination in 1956, he was pastor of American
Lutheran Church, Newport, Wash., and Our Saviour's Lutheran Church,
Spirit Lake, Idaho.  In 1962, he became pastor of Our Savior's
Lutheran Church, Laurel, Mont.  From 1969 to 1979 he was pastor of
Bethesda Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Minn., and Our Saviour's
Lutheran Church, Nelson, Minn.  In 1979 he became assistant to the
bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota District before joining the
Southwestern Minnesota Synod staff in 1988.
     Ranum and his wife Sylvia are members of Indherred Lutheran
Church, Starbuck. They are the parents of four grown children: the
Rev. Eric P. Ranum, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Gretchen Poffenberger, St.
Charles, Ill.; Heidi Johnson, Sumner, Wash.; and Ingrid Ranum, River
Forest, Ill.
     The ELCA Southwestern Minnesota Synod has 140,364 members in
278 congregations. The synod office is in Redwood Falls, Minn.
---
      Note: Spellings are correct for Our Saviour's Lutheran Church,
Spirit Lake, Idaho; Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Laurel, Mont.; and
Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Nelson, Minn.

      Additional information about the ELCA Southwestern Minnesota
Synod can be found at www.swmnelca.org on the Web.

       * The Rev. Marcus R. Kunz is synod minister for the ELCA
Southwestern Minnesota Synod.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html