"I am overwhelmed by the trust the people of the synod have placed in me," said Roth. "It is a humbling thing to be inundated with so many hopes and prayers and expressions of support."
Roth was elected June 4 to a six-year term as bishop of the synod. At the time of his election, he was pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Jacksonville, Ill., since 1988.
Roth succeeds the Rev. Warren D. Freiheit, who announced his resignation as bishop June 30 to accept a call as pastor of an ELCA congregation in Hot Springs, Ark.
Born in St. Louis, Roth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind. He attended Eberhard-Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany, before earning a Master of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Christ Seminary-Seminex, St. Louis, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Vanderbilt University.
Following his ordination by the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in 1981, Roth was assistant pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Glen Ellyn, Ill., and prior to that a pastoral assistant at Lutheran Church of the Living Christ, Florissant, Mo.
Among his church and community leadership roles, Roth was dean of the West Central Conference of the Central/Southern Illinois Synod and a member of the synod council. He served as a volunteer hospital chaplain at a Jacksonville hospital and a correctional center.
Roth and his wife, Kristina, are parents of three children: Maria, Laura and Sam.
The ELCA Central/Southern Illinois Synod has more than 47,155 baptized members in 140 congregations. The synod office is in Springfield. For more information about the synod, visithttp://www.csis-ELCA.org on the Internet.
The installation will take place at 245 N. Amos Ave., Springfield, Ill.
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com
Melissa Ramirez Cooper
773-380-2956 or Melissa.RamirezCooper@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Lutherans
Living Lutheran: http://www.livinglutheran.com
