Title: David Zellmer Elected Bishop of the ELCA South Dakota Synod ELCA NEWS SERVICE
June 7, 2007
David Zellmer Elected Bishop of the ELCA South Dakota Synod 07-099-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. David B. Zellmer, Lutheran Memorial Lutheran Church, Pierre, S.D. and Grace Lutheran Church, Hayes, S.D., was elected June 1 to a six-year term as bishop of the South Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Zellmer was elected on the second ballot for bishop, 444-178 over the Rev. Lawrence Wohlrabe, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn. The Rev. Jeffrey B. Sorenson, assistant to the bishop, ELCA South Dakota Synod, received 117 votes.
The synod assembly was June 1-2 at Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. Augustana is one of 28 ELCA colleges and universities.
Zellmer, 53, will succeed the Rev. Andrea B. DeGroot-Nesdahl who has served as bishop of the synod since 1995. DeGroot- Nesdahl could not seek re-election because the synod's constitution limits its bishop to two terms.
Zellmer led on the first ballot with 319 votes. Wohlrabe received 123 votes and Sorenson had 109 votes. Two other first- ballot nominees were the Rev. Paul D. Stjernholm, Peace Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, who received 104 votes, and the Rev. Olaf Roynesdal, East Side Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, who received 97 votes.
Zellmer will assume the role of bishop on Sept. 1. He will be installed Sept. 15 at First Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls.
Born in Minneapolis, Zellmer received a bachelor's degree in psychology at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, in 1977. In 1981 he received a master of divinity degree from Luther Theological Seminary (now Luther Seminary), St. Paul, Minn. Luther is one of eight ELCA seminaries.
After he was ordained in 1981, Zellmer was pastor of Scandinavia Lutheran Church, Aberdeen, S.D., Bethany Lutheran Church, Mellette, S.D., and chaplain at Bethesda Home of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, S.D. In 1985 he became pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Mitchell, S.D., before he became senior pastor at Lutheran Memorial in 1993.
Zellmer is a board member of Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, and is secretary and board member of Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota Foundation.
Zellmer has been a voting member of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, member of the ELCA task force on First Call Theological Education, an ELCA South Dakota Synod Council member, vice president of the council and chair of the synod's Theological Continuing Education Task Force.
Zellmer and his wife Ladonna are parents of four adult children. The Zellmers reside in Pierre.
The ELCA South Dakota Synod has 122,296 baptized members in 252 congregations. The synod office is in Sioux Falls.
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Information about the ELCA South Dakota Synod is at http://www.augie.edu/related/synod/ 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