Title: Bruce Burnside Elected Bishop of ELCA South-Central Wisconsin Synod ELCA NEWS SERVICE
May 8, 2007
Bruce Burnside Elected Bishop of ELCA South-Central Wisconsin Synod 07-081-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Bruce Burnside, St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Monona, Wis., was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly in Madison, Wis. Burnside, 53, was elected May 5 on the fifth ballot for bishop, 253-159 over the Rev. Michael C. Rehak, assistant to the bishop, ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin.
Burnside will succeed the Rev. George G. Carlson, 65, who announced earlier he would not be available for re-election. Carlson was elected bishop of the synod in 2001.
Burnside led on the fourth ballot with 209 votes. Rehak had 117 votes, and the Rev. David J. Berggren, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Sun Prairie, Wis., received 75 votes. There were 31 names on the first or nominating ballot.
Burnside will assume his new role as synod bishop on July 1. He will be installed on Sept. 16 at a location to be announced.
Born in Ashland, Wis., Burnside earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies at Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash., in 1984. In 1988 he earned a master of divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, Ohio. Pacific Lutheran is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities; Trinity is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
Burnside served as pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sharon, Wis., and St. John's Lutheran Church, Boscobel, Wis. He became senior pastor at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in 1993.
Burnside and his wife Cynthia are parents of an adult daughter. They reside in Madison.
The ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin has 110,668 baptized members in 150 congregations. The synod office is in Madison.
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Information about the ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin is at http://www.scsw-ELCA.org/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog