James Gonia re-elected bishop of ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod

The Rev. James W. Gonia, Denver, was re-elected May 3 to serve a second six-year term as bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the Synod Assembly May 3-5 at the Westin Hotel Westminster in Westminster, Colo.

The bishop was re-elected on the first ballot with 321 votes. A total of 293 votes was needed for election.

Gonia has served as bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod in Denver since 2012. He was ELCA program director for West Africa, Tanzania and Madagascar from 2009 to 2012, and he served as associate pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Colo., from 1999 to 2009.  

Gonia received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., in 1982. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Northwestern Seminary (now Luther Seminary) in St. Paul, Minn. in 1988, and a Master of Theology degree in Islamic studies at Luther Seminary in 1997. Luther is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Information about the Rocky Mountain Synod is available at rmselca.org/.

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.5 million members in 9,300 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:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org

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