CUYAHOGA FALLS: A familiar face is returning to the bishop’s office of the Northeastern Ohio Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The Rev. Marcus J. Miller, who left the bishop’s post in August 2006 to become president of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., is returning to serve as interim bishop.
Miller, 67, will begin his duties Nov. 1 and continue until a new bishop is elected to replace Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton. She was chosen last month to become presiding bishop of the denomination.
Eaton is scheduled to be installed as the first female presiding bishop of the ELCA on Oct. 5 at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel in Chicago, where she will be headquartered beginning Nov. 1. A farewell reception is scheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. Oct. 20 at Faith Lutheran Church, 2726 W Market St., Fairlawn.
Eaton said she believes Miller’s presence will lend stability to the local synod, which includes nearly 62,000 members in 182 congregations in 20 counties in northeastern Ohio, including Summit, Stark, Portage, Wayne and Medina.
“As a former bishop, Marcus Miller has the experience and skill set necessary to serve as interim bishop. As former bishop of this synod, he knows the staff, congregations, pastors, deaconesses and associates in ministry. He is familiar with the territory,” Eaton said.
“But the real reason why I think Marcus Miller is a good fit for our synod is that he is faithful, wise and compassionate. He will be a calm and steady presence as our synod moves through this transition,” she said. “I will overlook the fact that he is a Detroit Tigers fan.” (Eaton is a diehard Cleveland Indians fan).
Miller, retired and living in North Carolina, was selected during a synod council meeting Wednesday. In his retirement, he has been working with the North Carolina ELCA bishop to revitalize congregations and strengthen ministries.
A Detroit native, Miller led the Northeastern Ohio Synod for 11 years. He was ordained in 1971 in Grand Rapids, Mich. His first pastorate was in Mount Vernon, N.Y., where he served for eight years.
In 1979, he was called to serve as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, Ohio, until being elected bishop in 1995. He was re–elected to another six-year term in 2001.
Miller said he is humbled and surprised to be asked to come back to the Cuyahoga Falls-based synod.
“I certainly wasn’t expecting this,” Miller said. “Although it wasn’t in my plan book, I love the church and I have great affection for the people of Northeast Ohio and the synod, and I want to help where I can to make sure the synod is well-served and prepared for a smooth and faithful transition.”
The synod is scheduled to elect a new bishop during its May assembly in Akron. The official start date of for the new bishop’s six-year term is Sept. 1. If the new bishop is available sooner, the term could start earlier.
The ELCA is the nation's largest Lutheran group with about 4 million members in nearly 10,000 congregations across the 50 states and in the Caribbean. Known as the church of “God's work. Our hands,” the ELCA is rooted in the writings of the German church reformer, Martin Luther.
For more information about the local synod, go to www.neos-elca.org.
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com. She can be followed at www.twitter.com/ColetteMJenkins.