Felix Malpica elected bishop of ELCA La Crosse Area Synod

​CHICAGO — The Rev. Felix J. Malpica, Janesville, Wis., was elected June 13 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during an online synod assembly.

Malpica was elected on the fifth ballot, with 108 votes. The Rev. Rebecca Piper, co-pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rapid City, S.D., received 81 votes.

The bishop-elect has served as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Janesville since 2017. Prior to that, he served as associate pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, from 2014 to 2017.

Malpica earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, in 2009 and his Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 2013. Luther College is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities, and Luther Seminary is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Malpica's installation is scheduled for Sept. 26.

The Rev. Wm Chris Boerger has served as interim bishop of the La Crosse Area Synod since Jan. 2021.

Information about the La Crosse Area Synod is available at lacrosseareasynod.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