​            CHICAGO (ELCA) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and the Rev. Jessica Crist, bishop of the ELCA Montana Synod and chair of the ELCA Conference of Bishops, celebrate the appointment of the Rev. Libby Lane to serve as bishop of Stockport – the first woman bishop in the Church of England.

            In a Dec. 18, 2014, letter to Lane, Eaton and Crist wrote: "With great joy we welcome you, our sister in Christ, to the ministry of oversight. We celebrate your appointment with the Church of England and offer our prayers as you take up this new call.
            "Being 'the first' is a unique and sometimes complicated role. Layers of meaning are placed on even inconsequential actions. One becomes the example of an entire segment of humankind. Wear this lightly," the ELCA bishops wrote.
            "In baptism God's Spirit gave you the gifts that you need to serve in this call. You said yes to God's invitation to serve God's people when you were ordained a deacon and a priest. Now as you prepare to say yes to God's invitation to be a bishop in God's church be assured of our support," Eaton and Crist wrote.

Robin Steinke is the new president of Luther Seminary

- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3.8 million members in nearly 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.