Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elects new leader

Attendees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s 2025 assembly in Phoenix elected Bishop Yehiel Curry to serve as the denomination’s presiding bishop. Curry won the six-year term with about 70% support on the fifth round of voting on Wednesday, according to the church. The ELCA additionally noted that Curry made history as the denomination’s first black presiding bishop. Curry will be formally installed on Oct. 4, succeeding the denomination’s first female presiding bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, who is retiring after two terms.

The assembly also approved a resolution describing Israel’s war against Hamas as genocide and calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state. The ELCA comprises about 2.7 million members across more than 8,400 worshiping communities.

What do we know about Curry? After graduating from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2013, Curry served as mission developer, then pastor of the Shekinah Chapel in the village of Riverdale, just south of Chicago. Curry most recently served as bishop to the ELCA’s Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 2019.

The 52-year-old addressed the assembly after his election and described his hesitation to accept his first ministry role. Curry never saw himself as good enough to serve in ministry, and he declined to do so for several years. After taking the role, he described receiving overwhelming support from the church to fulfill his ministerial calling.