ELCA NEWS SERVICE
June 9, 2008
James Arends Elected Bishop of ELCA La Crosse Area Synod
08-082-LT*
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. James A. Arends, Prince
of Peace Lutheran Church, La Crescent, Minn., was elected
June 7 to a six-year term as bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) La Crosse (Wis.) Area
Synod at the synod assembly June 5-7 at Luther College,
Decorah, Iowa. On Oct. 1 he succeeds the Rev. April
Ulring Larson, bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod, who
has served as bishop since 1992. Because of term limits,
Larson could not seek re-election.
Arends' installation as bishop is planned for Oct. 18
in La Crosse at a site to be determined.
On the fifth and final ballot for bishop, Arends
received 155 votes, and the Rev. Brian C. King, Bethany
Lutheran Church, Iowa Falls, Iowa, received 113 votes. The
Rev. J. David Bersagel, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, West
Salem, Wis, was a candidate on the fourth ballot. There
were five candidates nominated.
Arends, 56, was born in Willmar, Minn. He earned a
bachelor of arts degree from Augsburg College, Minneapolis,
and a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St.
Paul, Minn. Augsburg College is one of 28 ELCA colleges and
universities; Luther Seminary is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Ordained in 1981, Arends was pastor of Cross of Glory
Lutheran Church, Brooklyn Center, Minn.; Community Lutheran
Church, Geneva, Minn.; and Trinity Lutheran Church, Spring
Grove, Minn., before he was called to Prince of Peace in 2002.
Arends and his wife Lynn are the parents of two adult
sons and one adult daughter.
The ELCA La Crosse Area Synod consists of approximately
43,600 Lutherans in 81 congregations across 10 counties in
western Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. The synod office
is in La Crosse.
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The home page of the ELCA La Crosse Area Synod is at
http://www.lacrosseareasynod.org/ on the Web.
*Luke Tatge is a senior journalism major at Augustana College,
Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer he is an intern with the ELCA
News Service.
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
