Hanson chosen to lead ELCA

Christian Century, August 29, 2001 by Jean Caffey Lyles

Unsurprisingly, the new bishop of the 5.1-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a man of Scandinavian ancestry who has close ties to the Midwest, and whose hair is rapidly turning white. That description pretty well matches the profile of his two predecessors in the job since the ELCA was formed by the 1987 merger of three Lutheran bodies.

Bishop Mark S. Hanson, 54, was elected on the fifth ballot August 11 by the ELCA's 1,032-member Churchwide Assembly, meeting in Indianapolis. He won narrowly--52 to 48 percent--over the leading East Coast contender, Donald J. McCoid, 57, bishop of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod and one of the few who have served as bishops continuously since the ELCA's inception.

The son of a Lutheran evangelist, Hanson is by reputation a liberal advocate for social justice. Hanson was elected earlier this year to a second term as leader of the St. Paul Area Synod, the ELCA's fastest-growing synod. His synod was also the site of a church's unsanctioned ordination of an openly gay pastor earlier this year. He will begin his six-year term November 1.

Unlike his predecessors and most Lutheran clergy, Hanson earned his first divinity degree at a non-Lutheran institution, Union Theological Seminary in New York. He also studied at Harvard Divinity School. (He imbibed the requisite Lutheran ethos at a Lutheran college and seminary.) He is also the ELCA's first bearded presiding bishop.

Runner-up McCoid, president of the church's 67-member conference of bishops, a gentle, dark-haired man with a pastoral air, ran ahead of Hanson on some ballots. (Like commentators on a presidential debate, hallway pontificators said McCoid hadn't showed up as "strongly" in the question-and-answer sessions.) Some delegates saw the 1-2 finish as a reminder of seams still showing between two of the predecessor bodies--the Lutheran Church in America (East Coast-based) and the former American Lutheran Church (Midwest-centered).

Running third was James A. Nestingen, 55, professor at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, who was backed by an unofficial conservative group, Word Alone, and others who have challenged the ELCA's ecumenical relationship of "full communion" with the 2.4-million-member Episcopal Church. A rumpled and witty Bible scholar and frequent guest speaker, Nestingen has often been compared to another humorist with a pronounced Minnesotan accent--Garrison Keillor. One observer said after a Q-and-A session that the professor's chances may have been damaged by his blunt responses and by his remark that he's a teacher but no administrator, and would prefer to delegate such duties to a chief of staff so he could spend more time traveling around the church teaching in synods and congregations.

Unlike some of its ecumenical partners that use search committees and background checks to select a limited number of candidates, the ELCA uses a "modified" ecclesiastical ballot. In a "pure" ecclesiastical ballot, voters may cast a secret ballot for anyone eligible for a given post, sometimes continuing for dozens of ballots until the choice emerges with the needed percentage, and presumably with the Holy Spirit's blessing. The ELCA process doesn't rule out the workings of the Spirit, but it does eliminate lesser vote-getters along the way, ensuring that no more than five ballots are needed (barring a tie).

Hanson said after his election that he "really [did] see this as a call, not an election." A tall, ruddy man with piercing pale blue eyes and receding hair that forms a fluffy halo effect, he is married to lone Hanson, a hospital director of social work. The couple have put their racial views into practice: their six children include four who are adopted and biracial.

Before becoming a synod bishop, Hanson served as pastor of three Minnesota congregations. Earlier still, he worked with the National Council of Churches' Emergency Ministries.

At a press conference. Hanson sought to downplay the anti-Vietnam-war activism of his Union Seminary days, but freely spoke of his current passionate involvement in St. Paul in "issues that impact the poor, racial justice, housing, welfare rights, and immigration rights."

"God will meet us at the margins of society where the poor are," he added.