Jen Nagel Elected Bishop of the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod

​CHICAGO — The Rev. Jen Nagel, Minneapolis, Minn., was elected May 4 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 2-4 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ramsey, Minn.

Nagel was elected on the fifth ballot, with 316 votes. The Rev. Natalia Terfa, associate pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Brooklyn Park, Minn., received 146 votes.

The bishop-elect has served as lead pastor of University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis since 2015. Previously she served as pastor of Salem English Lutheran Church in Minneapolis (2003 to 2015) and as a teaching staff coordinator at Holden Village, Chelan, Wash. (2011).

Nagel earned her Bachelor of Arts in religion and classics from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., in 1994; a certificate of studies from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) in 1999; and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1998. Concordia is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities; LSTC is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

She will be installed Sept. 21 at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen is retiring after serving as bishop since 2012. Her last day will be July 31.

Information about the Minneapolis Area Synod is available at mpls-synod.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 8,600 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