Kevin Jones elected bishop of ELCA Northeastern Iowa Synod

​CHICAGO — The Rev. Kevin T. Jones, Mason City, Iowa, was elected June 12 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during an online synod assembly.

Jones was elected on the fifth ballot, with 168 votes. The Rev. Stacey Nalean-Carlson, pastor of Glenwood and Canoe Ridge Lutheran churches in Decorah, Iowa, received 118 votes.

The bishop-elect has served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City, since 2014. Prior to that, he served as associate pastor of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Marion, Iowa, from 2001 to 2014, and as associate pastor of Blair (Wis.) Lutheran Parish from 1993 to 2001.

Jones earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Mich., in 1986 and his Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 1993. Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Jones will take office Sept. 1. His installation is scheduled for Sept. 25 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Mason City.

The Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdahl has served as interim bishop of the Northeastern Iowa Synod since Sept. 2020.

Information about the Northeastern Iowa Synod is available at neiasynod.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 3.3 million members in more than 8,900 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