Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Pictured at Redeemer in 2019 from left to right:
- Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, the Reverend Elizabeth Eaton
- Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, the Reverend Kevin Strickland
- Former Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, the Reverend Julian Gordy
- Senior Pastor of Redeemer, the Reverend Mark Larson
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA was formed in 1988 with the merger of the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. The Presiding Bishop of the ELCA is the Reverend Elizabeth Eaton, who was first elected in 2013.
The ELCA has almost 10,000 congregations across all 50 states as well as the Caribbean and U.S. Virgin Islands. It works with 27 colleges and universities related to the ELCA, seven seminaries, and over 2,000 schools, preschools, campus ministries and social service agencies.
The ELCA is divided into 65 synods, each of which is led by an elected bishop. Those synods are grouped into nine geographical regions. Redeemer is part of the Southeastern Synod, which is made up of congregations in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi. Bishop Kevin Strickland was elected in 2019. The Southeastern Synod offices are located here in Atlanta. The Southeastern Synod is a part of Region 9.
