LCMS board elections continued, completed

The Rev. Gregory Walton, president of the LCMS Florida-Georgia District, leads the 66th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in balloting for Synod boards on Wednesday, July 13, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. (LCMS /Erik M. Lunsford)
The Rev. Gregory Walton, president of the LCMS Florida-Georgia District, leads the 66th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in balloting for Synod boards on Wednesday, July 13, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. (LCMS /Erik M. Lunsford)

By Katie Schuermann

MILWAUKEE (July 13, 2016) — The 66th Regular Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod wrapped up balloting for Synod boards on Wednesday.

Voting delegates elected the following 49 ordained, commissioned and lay nominees to the Board for International Mission and the following boards of regents:

Board for International Mission

Central Region: Ordained/Commissioned — Rev. John F. Temple, St. Charles, Mo. Layperson — Kristine Bruss, Topeka, Kan.

East-Southeast Region: Ordained/Commissioned — Rev. Roberto E. Rojas Jr., Gotha, Fla. Layperson — James Wolf, Presto, Pa.

Great Lakes Region: Ordained/Commissioned — Rev. Dr. David P. Stechholz, Livonia, Mich. Layperson — K. Allan Voss, Sheboygan, Wis.

Great Plains Region: Ordained/Commissioned — Rev. Bernhard M. Seter, Grafton, N.D. Layperson — Robert K. Van Gundy, St. Paul, Minn.

West-Southwest Region: Ordained/Commissioned — Rev. Samuel Cosby, Houston, Texas. Layperson — Terence Lung, Sunnyvale, Calif.

Board of Regents: Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne

Ordained — Rev. Ronald M. Garwood, Cody, Wyo.

Laypersons — Leo S. Mackay Jr., Alexandria, Va; Dr. Beverly Yahnke, Brookfield, Wis.

Board of Regents: Concordia College Alabama, Selma, Ala.

Ordained — Rev. Dr. Carl L. Beckwith, Fultondale, Ala.

Commissioned — Deaconess Deborah L. Rockrohr, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Laypersons — James Tallmon, Cheyenne, Wyo; Carol Gross Schmidt, St. Louis, Mo.

Board of Regents: Concordia College—New York, Bronxville, N.Y.

Ordained — Rev. Jon M. Ellingworth, Pawling, N.Y.

Commissioned — Dr. Ross E. Stueber, Cedarburg, Wis.

Laypersons — James T. Jahnke, Rochester Hills, Mich; David M. Wolf, Bellingham, Mass.

Board of Regents: Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, Ill.

Ordained — Rev. Roger B. Gallup, River Grove, Ill.

Commissioned — Mark P. Muehl, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Laypersons — Dr. Debra Grime, Fort Wayne, Ind.; Mark O. Stern, Oak Brook, Ill.

Board of Regents: Concordia University, Irvine, Calif.

Ordained — Rev. Scott C. Klemsz, Salinas, Calif.

Commissioned — Jeffrey S. Beavers, Orange, Calif.

Laypersons — Sandra J. Ostapowich, Plano, Texas; Peter K.S. Lee, Newbury Park, Calif.

Board of Regents: Concordia University Nebraska, Seward, Neb.

Ordained — Rev. Keith H. Grimm, Andover, Minn.

Commissioned — Robert L. Cooksey, Omaha, Neb.

Laypersons — Jill M. Johnson, Seward, Neb.; Timothy Hu, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Board of Regents: Concordia University, Portland, Ore.

Ordained — Rev. Gregory N. Todd, Washington, D.C.

Commissioned — Keith E. Brosz, Fallbrook, Calif.

Laypersons — Michael P. Borg, Carpenter, Wyo.; August C. Schwark, Woodinville, Wash.

Board of Regents: Concordia University, St. Paul, Minn.

Ordained — Rev. David A. Kind, Minneapolis, Minn.

Commissioned — Mark J. L’Heureux, Lincoln, Neb.

Laypersons — Amy S. Wenthe, Rosemount, Minn.; Willis Robert Myers, Milton, Fla.

Board of Regents: Concordia University Texas, Austin, Texas

Ordained — Rev. Nathaniel W. Hill, Winchester, Texas.

Commissioned — Mary Beth Gaertner, Magnolia, Texas.

Laypersons — Mark K. De Young, Austin, Texas; Noreen L. Linke, Sugar Land, Texas.

Board of Regents: Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis.

Ordained — Rev. David C. Fleming, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Commissioned — Deaconess Lynnette A. Fredricksen, Hamel, Ill.

Laypersons — Kenneth B. Bowman, Oro Valley, Ariz.; Deborah J. Davidson, Pleasant Prairie, Wis.

Delegates elected a total of 91 nominees to leadership positions this week in convention, including the Rev. Dr. Herbert C. Mueller Jr. as first vice-president of the Synod and the Rev. Dr. John Wollenburg Sias as secretary.

Regional vice-presidents were also elected and ranked by convention vote, and nominees for additional Synod boards and the Commission on Theology and Church Relations were elected on Monday and Tuesday.

The 66th Regular Convention of the LCMS is meeting July 9-14 at the Wisconsin Center convention complex under the theme “Upon This Rock.” Among 1,500 convention participants are some 1,125 clergy and lay voting delegates.

Katie Schuermann is a freelance writer, author, musician and a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sherman, Ill.

Posted July 13, 2016 / Updated July 20, 2016

Learn more

WatchLivestream and on-demand video

ReadReporter Online  |  LCMS.org/convention

ViewPhoto galleries