Michael Lozano elected bishop of the ELCA Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod

​CHICAGO – The Rev. Michael L. Lozano, Sharon, Pa., was elected June 15 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, held June 13-15 at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa.

Lozano was elected on the fifth ballot, with 71 votes. The Rev. William Coleman, pastor of Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in Erie, Pa., received 61.

The bishop-elect has served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Sharon, Pa., since 2014. He was pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Fla., from 2005 to 2007; Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mount Holly Springs, Pa., from 1996 to 2005; and St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Catawissa, Pa., from 1993 to 1996. An active U.S. Army Reserve chaplain, he served this call full time from 2008 to 2014.

Lozano received a Bachelor of Science from Mansfield (Pa.) University in 1988 and a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United) in 1992. United is one of seven ELCA seminaries. He received a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., in 2015.

Lozano will be installed Oct. 13 at location to be determined.

The Rev. Ralph E. Jones has served as bishop since 2001 and will retire Aug. 31.

Information about the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod is available at nwpaelca.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