ELCA Church Council Elects Board, Committee Members

November 18, 2002

CHICAGO – The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected clergy and lay individuals to fill vacancies on boards, steering and advisory committees of the church. It also acted to forward a resolution to the 2003 ELCA Churchwide Assembly to elect the Rev. David L. Miller to serve a second four- year term as editor of The Lutheran magazine.

The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies. The council met here Nov. 15-17. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is Aug. 11-17, 2003, in Milwaukee.

The council elects clergy and lay individuals to fill unexpired terms on boards, steering committees and certain advisory committees of the ELCA. It also affirms certain positions recommended by commissions.

The council elected:

• The Rev.. Javier R. Alanis, St. John Lutheran Church, San Antonio, Texas, to the ELCA Commission for Multicultural Ministries steering committee;

• The Rev.. Karen G. Bockelman, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Duluth, Minn., to The Lutheran the magazine of the ELCA advisory committee;

• Kristina L. Diaz, Iglesia Luterana Buen Pastor, San Juan, Puerto Rico, to the ELCA Commission for Women steering committee;

• The Rev.. M. Timothy Fong, Chinese Life Lutheran Church, Alhambra, Calif., to the ELCA Division for Outreach board; and

• The Rev.. Shauna K. Hannan, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Moorhead, Minn., to the ELCA Division for Global Mission board.

In a separate action, the council acted to transmit to the 2003 Churchwide Assembly a resolution to elect the Rev. David L. Miller to serve another four-year term as editor of The Lutheran, effective Nov. 1, 2003. The nomination process also included the magazine's advisory committee and the presiding bishop.

The 1999 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Denver first elected Miller to serve a four-year term as editor of the periodical. From the beginning of the magazine in 1988 to 1999, Miller served as a senior editor for The Lutheran.

ELCA News Service