ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 13, 2011
Roth to be installed bishop of ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod Oct. 15
11-131-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) - The Rev. Dr. S. John Roth will be installed as
bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) Oct. 15. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson
will preach and preside at the installation.
"I am overwhelmed by the trust the people of the synod have placed
in me," said Roth. "It is a humbling thing to be inundated with so many
hopes and prayers and expressions of support."
Roth was elected June 4 to a six-year term as bishop of the synod.
At the time of his election, he was pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in
Jacksonville, Ill., since 1988.
Roth succeeds the Rev. Warren D. Freiheit, who announced his
resignation as bishop June 30 to accept a call as pastor of an ELCA
congregation in Hot Springs, Ark.
Born in St. Louis, Roth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at
Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind. He attended Eberhard-Karls
Universitaet, Tuebingen, Germany, before earning a Master of Arts degree
from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He earned a Master of
Divinity Degree from Christ Seminary-Seminex, St. Louis, and a Doctor of
Philosophy degree from Vanderbilt University.
Following his ordination by the Association of Evangelical Lutheran
Churches in 1981, Roth was assistant pastor at Grace Lutheran Church,
Glen Ellyn, Ill., and prior to that a pastoral assistant at Lutheran
Church of the Living Christ, Florissant, Mo.
Among his church and community leadership roles, Roth was dean of
the West Central Conference of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod and a
member of the synod council. He served as a volunteer hospital chaplain
at a Jacksonville hospital and a correctional center.
Roth and his wife, Kristina, are parents of three children: Maria,
Laura and Sam.
The ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod has more than 47,155
baptized members in 140 congregations. The synod office is in
Springfield. For more information about the synod, visit
http://www.csis-ELCA.org on the Internet.
The installation will take place at 245 N. Amos Ave., Springfield,
Ill.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United
States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50
states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work.
Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in
Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's
roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For information contact:
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