CHICAGO — The Rev. Scott Alan Johnson, Fremont, Neb., was elected June 4 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, June 2-4 at the Younes Conference Center South in Kearney, Neb.
Johnson was elected on the fifth ballot, with 315 votes to 152 votes for the Rev. Gregory Berger, pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Ralston, Neb. A total of 234 votes was needed for election.
The bishop-elect has served as director of campus ministries at Midland University in Fremont since 2019. He served as pastor of St. Petri Lutheran Church in Story City, Iowa, from 2012 to 2019; as campus pastor at University Lutheran Center at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, from 2008 to 2012; and as pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Barrett, Minn., from 2003 to 2007.
Johnson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in classics and religious studies from University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Neb., in 1998 and his Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 2003. Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.
Johnson will take office Sept. 1, and his installation is scheduled for Sept. 24 at First Lutheran Church in Kearney.
The Rev. Brian D. Maas has served as bishop of the Nebraska Synod since 2012.
Information about the Nebraska Synod is available at nebraskasynod.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
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
