Shelley Bryan Wee elected bishop of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod

​CHICAGO – The Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee was elected May 19 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).  The election took place during the synod assembly, held May 17-19 in Lynnwood, Wash.

Bryan Wee was elected on the fourth ballot, with 167 votes. The Rev. Deanna Wildermuth, pastor of Holy Trinity, Mercer Island, Wash., received 158 votes.

Bryan Wee has served as assistant to the bishop in the Northwest Washington Synod since 2017. She was pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Cheney, Wash., from 2016 to 2017 and campus pastor at Eastern Washington University in Cheney from 2009 to 2017. She served as pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Spokane from 1999 to 2009.

The bishop-elect received a Bachelor of Arts from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma in 1988 and a Master of Divinity from Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary (now Luther Seminary) in 1993. Pacific Lutheran University is one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities, and Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Bryan Wee will be installed Nov. 2 at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle.

The Rev. Brian Kirby Unti has served as bishop since 2013 and will retire July 31.

Information about the Northwest Washington Synod is available at www.lutheransnw.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 nearly 3.5 million members in more than 9,100 worshiping communities 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:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org