May 3, 2011

CHICAGO – The Rev. Michael K. Girlinghouse was elected May 1 to a six-year term as bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) at the synod assembly in Tulsa, Okla.

Girlinghouse, 50, is pastor of University Lutheran Church and Student Center, Norman, Okla. He has served in that role since 2005 and has more than 20 years experience in campus ministry. Girlinghouse said that experience will be helpful in his new call.

"I think I bring some wisdom about how to be more effective in our ministry with young adults," he said. "While we need to reach out to people across the age spectrum, the conspicuous absence of young adults in our churches makes reaching out to that age group particularly important."

In remarks to the assembly after his election, Girlinghouse said he focused on Solomon's prayer for wisdom in 1 Kings, adding that "my prayer is for understanding, for wisdom and for two listening ears." He said he plans to focus on a strategic planning process for the synod which is already under way, and learning about members and leaders through personal visits to synod congregations.

Girlinghouse was elected on the fifth ballot for bishop, receiving 97 votes to 31 for the Rev. Jean L. DeVoll-Donaldson, director for evangelical mission in the synod. The Rev. Alan D. Fox, pastor of Fellowship Lutheran Church, Tulsa, Okla., was also a nominee on the fourth ballot. There were 21 names on the first or nominating ballot.

Girlinghouse succeeds the Rev. Floyd M. Schoenhals, who retired as bishop Feb. 1 for health reasons. The Rev. Charles H. Maahs, Overland Park, Kan., retired bishop of the ELCA Central States Synod, has been serving as interim since Schoenhals' retirement. Girlinghouse will assume his new role July 1 and will be installed Sept. 10.

Girlinghouse was born in Milwaukee. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and a Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, one of eight ELCA seminaries.

After he was ordained in 1987, Girlinghouse served at Mount Zion Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa, Wis., and Redeemer Lutheran Church, Wayne, Neb. While at Redeemer he was campus pastor at Wayne (Neb.) State College. He became campus pastor and adjunct instructor in religious studies at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, serving for 10 years before he accepted his current call.

Girlinghouse is a member of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod Council, the synod's strategic planning committee and other synod committees. He also is part of the Norman Ministerial Fellowship, member of the Norman Lion's Club and past board president of "Sharing the Dream in Guatemala," a fair trade organization.

Girlinghouse and his wife, Terrie, are parents of a daughter, Rebecca. The family resides in Norman.

The ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod has more than 12,000 members in 55 congregations. The synod office is in Tulsa.

Information about the ELCA Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod is at http://www.aokelca.org/, on the Web.

ELCA News Service
Information for this report was provided by John Keller, synod secretary.