Elizabeth Eaton
| Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton | |
|---|---|
| Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | |
| Diocese | Non-territorial/non-metropolitical |
| Installed | 2013 |
| Term ended | Incumbent |
| Predecessor | Mark S. Hanson |
| Other posts | Bishop of Northeastern Ohio Synod |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1981 |
| Consecration | 2007 |
| Personal details | |
| Spouse | The Rev. Conrad Selnick |
| Children | Rebeckah, Susannah |
| Alma mater | Harvard Divinity School, College of Wooster |
Elizabeth Eaton is the fourth Presiding Bishop (and the first female Presiding Bishop) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She was elected on Wednesday, August 14, 2013 on the fifth ballot with 600 votes by the assembly with incumbent Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson having received 287 votes. She was installed as presiding bishop on October 5, 2013 at Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park (Chicago, IL).[1] Chicago is also the location of the ELCA headquarters. Her tenure as presiding bishop of the ELCA began November 1, 2013.
Prior to her election, Eaton served as Bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod (NEOS) since her installation on February 7, 2007 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Akron, OH). Bishop Eaton previously served congregations in Ohio. Eaton was ordained in 1981 after a call to serve All Saints Lutheran Church (Worthington, OH) and a one year term as interim pastor at Good Hope Lutheran Church (Youngstown, OH). She was serving as pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church (Ashtabula, OH) when she was called to become bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod.
She attended the College of Wooster where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in music education in 1977 and then went to Harvard Divinity School where she earned a Master of Divinity degree.
Eaton is married to the Rev. Conrad Selnick, a priest of the Episcopal Church (U.S.A.), who is vice president of the Bexley Seabury Seminary Federation (Chicago, IL), and together they have two adult daughters, Rebeckah and Susannah.
References
- ↑ Dias, Elizabeth (August 18, 2013). "Meet the Woman Who Will Lead Evangelical Lutherans: "Religious but not Spiritual"". Time. Retrieved August 18, 2013.