5/11/2016 5:00:00 PM

CHICAGO (ELCA) – The Rev. Erik Gronberg, Fort Worth, Texas, was elected April 23 to a six-year term as bishop of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Mission Area of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the synod assembly April 22-24 at the Sheraton Arlington Hotel in Arlington, Texas.

Gronberg was elected on the fifth and final ballot with 168 votes to 125 votes for the Rev. Jane Mar, bishop assistant for lifelong leadership formation of the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Mission Area.

“I am humbled and honored to receive this call from the people of Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana as they were guided by the Holy Spirit,” Gronberg said. “The Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Mission Area has a long history of focusing on leadership formation and mission, and I am excited to bring my experiences and passions to build upon that foundation.”

Gronberg has served as senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Worth since 2010. He was senior pastor of Dr. Martin Luther Church in Oconomowoc, Wis., from 2005 to 2010.

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