Greg Busboom elected bishop of the ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod

​CHICAGO — The Rev. Greg Busboom, Springfield, Ill., was elected June 3 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, March 25 via Zoom and June 1-3 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in East Peoria, Ill.

Busboom was elected on the fifth ballot, with 158 votes to 82 votes for the Rev. Elise Rothfusz, director for evangelical mission in the ELCA Central/Southern Synod.

The bishop-elect has served as lead pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church in Springfield since 2011. He previously served as pastor of outreach and discipleship at St. John's from 2007 to 2011 and as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Carthage, Ill., from 1999 to 2007.

Busboom earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1995 and his Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, in 1999. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 2018. Trinity and Luther are two of seven ELCA seminaries.

Busboom will take office Sept. 1 and be installed Sept. 23.

The Rev. Dr. S. John Roth has served as bishop since 2011 and will retire on Aug. 31.

Information about the Central/Southern Illinois Synod is available at Central/Southern Illinois Synod (csis-elca.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 3 million members in more than 8,700 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.Buchbinder@ELCA.org