Lutherans surprisingly elect female presiding bishop

Chicago — What started as just another church assembly turned into a historic one for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as members elected Elizabeth Eaton the denomination’s first female presiding bishop. Eaton will take over from Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, who will step down after 12 years of overseeing the ELCA.

Eaton argued that incumbent Hanson paved the way for her election Aug. 14. “The election of the woman to the office of presiding bishop is a fulfillment of his ministry of making this church a welcoming place,” she said.

It was under Hanson’s leadership that the denomination voted in 2009 to allow openly gay and lesbian clergy. And in June, Lutherans elected the denomination’s first gay bishop.

 “It was a costly decision for our denomination,” Eaton said. The ELCA, which has lost members nearly every year since its founding in 1987, saw the biggest drop when it lost nearly half a million members in 2010 and 2011, as many conservatives upset with the decision to allow gay clergy defected to a new denomination, the North American Lutheran Church.

 “We’ve thrived on paradox, that’s always been part of Lutheran history,” said Eaton, who received 600 votes against incumbent Hanson’s 287.

Eaton, who supported the denomination’s decision, said it’s important to include those who disagree.

 “We can disagree on decisions as long as we agree on the cross,” she said. “My goal is to make sure we make room for the possibility that people disagree, that they are fully Lutheran, fully valued and fully part of this denomination.”