Nominations and Election of a Bishop

Nominations closed February 28th.

The Northwest Washington Synod of the ELCA will elect a Bishop at the 2007 Synod Assembly, held June 1-2, to serve a six-year term beginning September 1, 2007. The synod elects a Bishop at a Synod Assembly every six years.

Information on Nominees

The eligible candidates for Synod Bishop who did not decline the nomination are listed below (in alphabetical order).

Rev. Wm. Chris Boerger
Nominee response form 423k

Rev. Victor Langford
This candidate has withdrawn from the nomination and election process.

Nominee Forums

The two pre-assembly forums have been cancelled.
The forum scheduled for during the Assembly will still take place.

Prior to the Synod Assembly (in April or May 2007), two forums will be held to introduce candidates to the synod. The format of these forums will be determined by the Synod Council, based on recommendations from the Task Force for Nominations and Elections of a Bishop.

Forums will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, at Salem Lutheran Church, 2529 North Laventure Road, Mount Vernon; and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 6, at Grace Lutheran Church, 9625 NE Eighth Street, Bellevue.

Additionally, there will be one forum held during the 2007 Synod Assembly when the number of nominees has reached seven or fewer.

Documents Available for Download

• Format for Nominating and Electing Our Bishop 110k (detailed overview of the nominations and election process)
• Responsibilities of the Bishop 28k (as described in the synod's constitution)
• Work Plan / Timeline for Nominations and Election Process 26k

Oversight of Nominations and Election

The process for nominations and elections of our Bishop is designed to be a fair, open, and transparent process. To that end, the Synod Council appointed a five-member task force to implement this process in accordance with provisions of section S9.04 of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Northwest Washington Synod.

Members of the Task Force for the Nominations and Election of a Bishop are:

• Mary Beth Short (Prince of Peace, SeaTac), chair
• Carlos Aguero (Fir Conway, Mount Vernon)
• Rev. L. Paul Bartling (Luther Memorial, Seattle)
• Gunbjorg Ladstein (Ballard First, Seattle)
• Mark J. Jackson (Saint Andrew's, Bellevue)

More Information

For more information, please direct questions to bishopelection@lutheransnw.org, or contact one of the following:

• Larry Johnson, Vice President, Northwest Washington Synod, (425) 226-6629
• Mary Beth Short, Chair, Task Force for the Nominations and Election of a Bishop, (253) 854-4438

Please do not contact the Synod Office with questions regarding the nominations and election process.