Evangelical Lutheran Church Installs First Transgender Bishop
He calls himself “they,” and he is now the first transgender bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Rev. Megan Rohrer was installed Saturday at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, according to The…
He calls himself “they,” and he is now the first Transgender bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Rev. Megan Rohrer was installed Saturday at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, according to The Associated Press.
“My call is … to be up to the same messy, loving things I was up to before,” Rohrer said in a statement.
“But mostly, if you’ll let me, and I think you will, my hope is to love you and beyond that, to love what you love.
“I step into this role because a diverse community of Lutherans in Northern California and Nevada prayerfully and thoughtfully voted to do a historic thing,” he said.
“My installation will celebrate all that is possible when we trust God to shepherd us forward.”
Rohrer was formerly pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and served as a chaplain coordinator for the city’s police department.
He was elected bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod in May, and will now serve a six-year term.
As bishop, Rohrer will oversee about 200 congregations in California and Nevada.
The ELCA has 65 synods and about 3.3 million members, making it one of the largest Christian denominations in the country.