On Wednesday, July 30th, after celebrating the call of our new presiding bishop, Rev. Yehiel Curry, the business of the assembly moved to electing a new secretary of the ELCA. With Deacon Sue Rothmeyer not standing for reelection, the nomination process was wide open. This position could be filled by lay or clergy of any gender, race, or other characteristic. The position requires a great knowledge of technical details about church governance while also holding the bigger picture of the systems of the ELCA.
To my surprise, after discussion at the Northern Illinois’ voting tables, many of those members decided to put my name forward on the first ballot. 9 in fact. I am deeply honored and humbled by this act of grace.
To put this election in context, here are some numbers about the first ballot:
- There were 104 names on the first ballot. I was #15, in order of number of votes received.
- Those with more votes included the 11 who were pre-identified, the 2 presiding bishop runners-up, and one other person.
- I appeared on the middle of the first page of results (out of 5 pages).
You might be surprised to hear, then, that I have prayerfully decided to remove my name from consideration. While serving in Northern Illinois, I have learned so much about this church and how and why it functions, yet I know there is so much more to learn. I value my calling serving in Northern Illinois and love the ministry that I am doing here.
I still want to be part of bringing the ELCA into the future, though. I know there is so much work to do to help our church governance lift up the least among us. There are so many opportunities for collaboration across all three expressions of the church that are unrealized right now. This church is ready for transformation, and I hope to be a part of it in another way.
We as a church can and will find a way forward, together.
God be with you!
Pastor Julie Monnard
