ELCA NEWS SERVICE
June 11, 2007
Lawrence Wohlrabe Elected Bishop of ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod
07-103-MS*/JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Lawrence R. Wohlrabe, Our
Savior's Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn., was elected June 10 to
a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Wohlrabe was
elected on the fifth ballot for bishop, 350-209, over the Rev.
Richard J. Foss, bishop of the ELCA Eastern North Dakota Synod,
Fargo.
The synod assembly was held June 8-10 at Concordia College,
Moorhead, Minn. Concordia is one of 28 ELCA colleges and
universities.
Wohlrabe, 52, will succeed the Rev. Rolf P. Wangberg,
incumbent bishop of the synod who has served in that role since
2001.
Wohlrabe trailed on the fourth ballot for bishop by 18 votes
-- 225 votes for Foss and 207 votes for Wohlrabe. Wangberg
received 161 votes on the fourth ballot. There were 83 names on
the first or nominating ballot.
Wohlrabe will assume the role of bishop on Sept. 1. The
date and location of his installation as bishop is to be
announced.
Born in Mankato, Minn., Wohlrabe received a bachelor's
degree in speech pathology from Mankato State University,
Mankato, Minn., in 1977. In 1981 he received a master of
divinity degree from Luther Theological Seminary (now Luther
Seminary), St. Paul, Minn. In 2003 he received a doctorate from
Luther Seminary, one of eight ELCA seminaries.
After he was ordained in 1981, Wohlrabe served
congregations in Willmar, Minn., and St. James, Minn. He was
director of admissions at Luther Northwestern Seminary (now
Luther Seminary) and assistant to the bishop of the ELCA
Southwestern Minnesota Synod, Redwood Falls, before he became
senior pastor at Our Savior's in 2003.
Wohlrabe and his wife, Lajoy, are parents of two adult
children. The Wohlrabes reside in Moorhead.
The ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod has 109,145 baptized
members in 272 congregations. The synod office is in Moorhead.
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Information about the ELCA Northwestern Minnesota Synod is
at http://www.nwmnsynod.org/ on the Web.
*Michael J. Stein is communications director for the ELCA
Northwestern Minnesota Synod.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
