Kevin Strickland elected bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod

​CHICAGO – The Rev. Kevin L. Strickland, Chicago, was elected June 2 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, held May 30 – June 2 at the Chattanooga (Tenn.) Convention Center.

Strickland was elected on the fifth ballot, with 199 votes. The Rev. Tiffany Chaney, pastor of Gathered by Grace Lutheran Church in Montgomery, Ala., received 158.

The bishop-elect has served as assistant to the bishop and executive for worship with the ELCA churchwide organization in Chicago since 2014. He served as pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Nashville, Tenn., from 2011 to 2014, and of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Maryville, Tenn., from 2008 to 2011. 

Strickland received a Bachelor of Arts from Newberry (S.C.) College in 2004 and a Master of Divinity from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 2008. Newberry is one of 27 ELCA colleges and universities, and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary of Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C., is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Strickland will be installed Oct. 5 at St. Philip's Episcopal Cathedral in Atlanta.

The Rev. H. Julian Gordy has served as bishop since 2007 and will retire Aug. 31.

Information about the ELCA Southeastern Synod is available at elca-ses.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