Pastor to lots of parishes

Jon Anderson,

pastor of Christ

the King Lutheran

in New Ulm, to

become ELCA bishop

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Pastor Jon Anderson emphasizes that the definition of synod means "walking together."

After he is installed as bishop of the Southwestern Minnesota Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church of America that's going to be the theme of his work.

Anderson will head the synod, which is headquartered in Redwood Falls, at a time when the ELCA is facing a handful of hot internal issues. Many Lutheran churches are struggling to find new leadership and to discover a new identity in the face of social change.

He was elected on the fourth ballot of the annual synod assembly at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter last Saturday. He will replace former Bishop Stanley Olson, who resigned last year to take a position in the ELCA's national office in Chicago.

A native of Belgrade, Minn., Anderson grew up on a dairy farm on the edge of the Kandiyohi County border. It was the land that his Norwegian great-grandfather fell in love with because its abundance of trees and sandy soil reminded him so much of home.

Anderson first came to New Ulm to Christ The King Lutheran Church in 1996 from a church in St. Cloud. He previously served in parishes in Houston, Texas and Dickinson, Texas. He graduated from St. Olaf College and from Luther Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul. He has served on several ELCA boards and other groups at the synod and national level.

The southwestern ELCA synod stretches from Judson to St. Peter to Cokato, Clearwater, Foley and goes as far west as Morris.

Anderson is the first pastor in his family. When he was a child, a pastor quizzed him on sermons. His mother once told him a teacher overheard him say he was going to be the first pastor on Mars.

During his teenage years, Anderson put the idea of becoming a minister aside. He was studying science in college when a religion class changed his mind. He got a job at a Bible camp that summer just to be sure about his choice. He wrestled with the decision to become a pastor up to the spring of his senior year at St. Olaf.

"I enjoy being a parish pastor," said Anderson. "As a bishop, I will be pastor to lots of parishes but I won't be a parish pastor."

Minnesota has six ELCA synods. Two are in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and the other four are at each corner of the state.

There are about 279 churches in the synod Anderson will oversee, and 48 of those are in the process of trying to replace pastors. He said some congregations are merging with smaller ones for lack of help. That fact is forcing the ELCA to talk about changes that could allow unordained members of the church to lead congregations.

One issue that the ELCA's national body and some local churches have grappled with is the issue of allowing homosexuals to become pastors in the church. Anderson said the ELCA currently allows gay men and lesbian women to be ordained so long as they commit to a life of celibacy. He said the conflict is "biblical authority versus justice" and said it is "driven by good values clashing."

Anderson said the ELCA is also struggling with its identity because it moving away from the more traditional ethnicities associated with the denomination, such as Germans and Scandinavians. Church officials and members are questioning the meaning of what it is to call yourself a Lutheran. He said the ELCA needs to focus on welcoming people of all kinds of political philosophies, ethnicities and backgrounds to the church.

Anderson said his biggest challenge as a bishop will be to stay focused on the business of the church. He wants to create teams of people that can collaborate on the issues facing the ELCA and try to resolve issues before problems arise.

Anderson is scheduled to be installed as bishop on Sept. 27 in St. Peter. He will serve out of the synod office in Redwood Falls for a six-year term, after which he can only be re-elected to one more term.