During the course of the 2025 Churchwide Assembly, new people were elected to serve as the presiding bishop and secretary of the ELCA. The process to elect a new presiding bishop and new secretary of the ELCA looks very similar. They both begin with an ecclesiastical ballot, where anyone who is eligible for the position could have their name written in. In order to be elected from the first ballot, one individual must receive three-fourths of the total votes cast. If this is not achieved, the first ballot serves as the nominating ballot for the remaining ballots.
After the first ballot, 77 names were lifted up for the role of presiding bishop. 104 names were lifted up for the role of secretary. Anyone whose name was written on the first ballot is then given the opportunity to either remove their name from consideration, or provide biographical information for voters to read before voting on the second ballot.
The second ballot for both positions was significantly smaller than the first - the second ballot for presiding bishop contained only 34 names, while the second ballot for secretary contained 29 names. In order to be elected on the second ballot, one individual must receive three-fourths of the total votes cast.
The seven candidates that received the most votes on the second ballot (including ties) made up the list for the third ballot for each positon. Before the assembly voted on the third ballot each of the seven candidates was allowed to address the assembly for four minutes each. Due to the inability of one candidate for presiding bishop to be present in-person, all seven candidates chose to address the assembly on Zoom from a room off site. All seven candidates for secretary addressed the assembly in person.
The top seven candidates for presiding bishop were Rev. Amy Current (bishop of the Southeastern Iowa Synod), Rev. Kevin Strickland (bishop of the Southeastern Synod), Rev. Yehiel Curry (bishop of the Metro Chicago synod), Rev. Tracie Bartholomew (bishop of the New Jersey Synod), Rev. Bill Gohl (bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod), Rev. Craig Schweitzer (bishop of the Western North Dakota Synod), and Rev. Angela Shannon (assistant to the bishop of the Metro New York Synod).
The top seven candidates for secretary were Rev. Matthew Riegel (bishop of the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod), Rev. Kevin Anderson (pastor in the Grand Canyon Synod), Rev. Keith Fry (Executive for Administration in the office of the Secretary), Mr. Daniel Kirschbaum (Senior Director for Young Adult Communities of the ELCA), Mr. Josh Tatum (pastor in the Indiana-Kentucky Synod), Rev. Lucille “CeCee” Mills (Assistant to the Bishop of the North Carolina Synod), and Rev. Tyler Rasmussen (pastor in the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin).
The third ballot required that one individual receive two-thirds of the votes cast in order to be elected. This did not occur, so the top three candidates moved ahead to the fourth ballot. The top three candidates for presiding bishop were Rev. Yehiel Curry, Rev. Kevin Strickland, and Rev. Tracie Bartholomew. The top three candidates for the position of secretary were Rev. Lucille “CeCee Mills” , Rev. Matthew Riegel, and Mr. Josh Tatum.
Prior to voting on the fourth ballot, each candidate for each position answered three pre-determined questions. Each person was given two minutes to respond to each question. Candidates rotated the order in which they responded to each question.
Questions for presiding bishop candidates:
- Give an example of how you would begin to implement the vision of the ELCA as it connects to the DEIA audit, the strategy toward authentic diversity, or God’s Love Made Real.
- How would you encourage faithful, equitable, and inclusive leadership in the church among both lay and rostered leaders?
- As this church moves into a rapidly changing future, how will you assemble and lead a team to steward the people and the resources of the Churchwide organization into this future?
Questions for secretary candidates:
- What is your knowledge and understanding of the current constitutions, bylaws, and continuing resolutions of the ELCA?
- Describe the lens through which you would interrupt and respond to questions of the governing documents of this church as they pertain to the mission and ministry of the three expressions. (congregational, synodical, and churchwide)
- What specific experiences do you bring that have best prepared you for this leadership position in the church?
In order to be elected on the fourth ballot, one individual must receive 60% of the total votes cast. If this did not take place, the top two candidates would move to the fifth, and final, ballot, where the individual who received the most votes would be elected. It is important to add that before each vote, we joined together in song and prayer, invoking the Holy Spirit to be present among us. In the end, Rev. Yehiel Curry was elected to be the next presiding bishop of the ELCA and Rev. Lucille “CeCee” Mills was elected to serve as the next secretary of the ELCA. It was a powerful experience and I feel blessed that I was able to be a part of this historic moment for the future of our church.
-Deacon Laura Gorton, Interim Minister, Christ Lutheran Belvidere
