Lutheran Church makes historic appointments

Philadelphia — A synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made history May 5 by electing the denomination’s first female African-American bishop. One day later a synod 900 miles away elected the second.

Delegates chose Patricia A. Davenport for the office of bishop in Southeastern Pennsylvania, which includes Philadelphia. On May 6 delegates voted for Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld, a pastor in Beloit, Wisconsin, to become bishop-elect for the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin.

The votes mark an inclusive step forward for the “most white” of the nation’s mainline Protestant denominations, according to Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.

With 3.5 million members, ELCA is the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. It encompasses about 9,300 congregations, which are grouped together in 65 regional synods. (RNS)