Gerald Mansholt elected bishop of ELCA East–Central Synod of Wisconsin

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Gerald L. Mansholt, Appleton, Wis., was elected May 17 to a six-year term as bishop of the East–Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) during the Synod Assembly May 16-17 at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wis. 
     Mansholt was elected on the fifth and final ballot with 223 votes to 130 votes for the Rev. Richard J. Bruesehoff, outreach coordinator at Portico Benefits Services, a ministry of the ELCA. 
     Since January, Mansholt has served as interim bishop of the ELCA East–Central Synod of Wisconsin.  Prior to that, he served two terms as bishop of the ELCA Central States Synod from 2001 to 2013. Mansholt was pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan., from 1995 to 2001; Lutheran Church of the Living Christ in Florissant, Mo., from 1985 to 1991; and Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Chickasha, Okla., from 1975 to 1981. Mansholt also served at First Lutheran Church, a congregation of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod in Chickasha, Okla., from 1974 to 1975.
     Mansholt earned a bachelor's degree at Concordia Senior College (now Concordia Theological Seminary) in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1970 and a Master of Divinity degree from Christ Seminary-Seminex, St. Louis, in 1974. In 1989 he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, one of eight ELCA seminaries.     
     Information about the ELCA East–Central Synod of Wisconsin is available at http://ecsw.org/.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with about 4 million members in nearly 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.
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Candice Hill Buchbinder
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