Elizabeth Eaton

{{Short description|American Lutheran bishop (born 1955)}} {{for|the English silversmith|Elizabeth Eaton (silversmith)}} {{use mdy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox Christian leader | honorific-prefix = The Reverend | name = Elizabeth Eaton | title = Former Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | image = | caption = | province = | diocese = | see = | predecessor = Mark Hanson | successor = Yehiel Curry | ordination = 1981 | consecration = | other_post = Bishop of Northeastern Ohio Synod | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|04|02}} | birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, US | death_date = | death_place = | buried = | nationality = | religion = Lutheran | residence = | parents = | spouse = Conrad Selnick | children = Rebeckah, Susannah | occupation = | profession = | alma_mater = {{unbulleted list | Harvard Divinity School | College of Wooster}} | signature = | term_end = October 1, 2025 | term_start = October 5, 2013 }} '''Elizabeth Amy Eaton'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGjLKBeMiCQ|title=Installation of ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton|date=2013-10-24|accessdate=2019-03-08|via=YouTube}}</ref> (born April 2, 1955) is an American bishop who served as the fourth Presiding Bishop, and the first female Presiding Bishop,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/elca-assembly-elects-first-female-leader-of-denomination-102365/|title=ELCA Assembly Elects First Female Leader of Denomination|work=Christian Post|date=August 15, 2013 |accessdate=2015-09-29}}</ref> of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) from 2013 to 2025. She was first elected to this post in 2013 and was re-elected for a second term in 2019, serving until 2025. She was succeeded by Bishop Yehiel Curry of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod to be presiding bishop of the ELCA. Prior to becoming presiding bishop, she served as bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yehiel Curry Elected Presiding Bishop of the ELCA |url=https://www.elca.org/news-and-events/yehiel-curry-elected-presiding-bishop-of-the-elca |access-date=31 July 2025 |work=www.elca.org |date=30 July 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

== Early life and education == Eaton was raised in West Park, in Cleveland, Ohio.<ref name=":0" /> She attended the College of Wooster where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in music education in 1977. Drawn to the ministry, she attended Harvard Divinity School where she earned a Master of Divinity degree in 1980.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dias |first=Elizabeth |date=2013-08-18 |title=Meet the Woman Who Will Lead Evangelical Lutherans: 'Religious but Not Spiritual' |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://swampland.time.com/2013/08/18/meet-the-woman-who-will-lead-evangelical-lutherans-religious-but-not-spiritual/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |issn=0040-781X}}</ref>

== Ministry == Eaton was ordained in 1981, and served as the associate pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church in Worthington, Ohio, from 1981 to 1990.<ref name=":0" /> In 1984, she served as a delegate to the Lutheran World Federation assembly in Budapest, Hungary. In 1990, Eaton was appointed to a one-year term as interim pastor at Good Hope Lutheran Church in Youngstown, Ohio. She then moved to Ashtabula, Ohio in 1991, where she became the pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church. She served there for fifteen years.

Eaton was elected to the national ELCA Church Council in 2005, and in 2006, she was elected bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod.<ref>{{cite web |author=Colette M. Jenkins |title=Bishop Elizabeth Eaton returns to shepherd flock in Northeast Ohio |url=http://www.ohio.com/news/local/bishop-elizabeth-eaton-returns-to-shepherd-flock-in-northeast-ohio-1.481005 |accessdate=2015-09-29 |work=www.ohio.com}}</ref> Eaton became the first woman to serve as bishop in the synod when she was installed on February 7, 2007, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} Northeastern Ohio Synod - ELCA |url=https://neos-elca.org/ |access-date=2020-02-14 |website=Northeastern Ohio Synod - ELCA |language=en-US}}</ref> She succeeded Marcus J. Miller, who resigned in 2006 to become the president of the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in South Carolina.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elizabeth Eaton Elected Bishop of ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod |url=https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/5832 |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=www.elca.org |language=en}}</ref> thumb|Bishop Elizabeth Eaton speaks at the Power in the Spirit conference on Roanoke's campus.|313x313px === Election as Presiding Bishop === Eaton was elected Presiding Bishop of the ELCA on Wednesday, August 14, 2013, on the fifth ballot. She received 600 votes by the Churchwide Assembly, and the incumbent Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson received 287 votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/5832|title=Elizabeth Eaton Elected Bishop of ELCA Northeastern Ohio Synod|website=www.elca.org|accessdate=2019-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/14/elizabeth-eaton-first-female-bishop_n_3757665.html|title=Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, First Female Lutheran Bishop (ELCA) Elected|work=The Huffington Post|date=August 14, 2013 |accessdate=2015-09-29}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/08/rev_elizabeth_eaton_ready_to_t.html|title=Rev. Elizabeth Eaton ready to take the plunge as first female bishop of ELCA (video)|work=cleveland.com|date=August 23, 2013 |accessdate=2015-09-29}}</ref> She was installed as presiding bishop of the ELCA on October 5, 2013, at Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park (Chicago, Illinois).<ref>{{cite news|last=Dias|first=Elizabeth|title=Meet the Woman Who Will Lead Evangelical Lutherans: "Religious but not Spiritual"|url=https://swampland.time.com/2013/08/18/meet-the-woman-who-will-lead-evangelical-lutherans-religious-but-not-spiritual/|publisher=Time|access-date=2013-08-18|date=2013-08-18}}</ref> Chicago is also the location of the ELCA headquarters. Her first six-year term as presiding bishop of the ELCA began November 1, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |title=Presiding Bishop |url=http://www.elca.org/About/Leadership/Churchwide-Officers/Presiding-Bishop |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930172534/http://www.elca.org/About/Leadership/Churchwide-Officers/Presiding-Bishop |archive-date=2015-09-30 |accessdate=2015-09-29 |work=ELCA.org}}</ref> In 2019, she was reelected to a second term as Presiding Bishop at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Presiding Bishop |url=http://www.elca.org/About/Leadership/Churchwide%20Officers/Presiding%20Bishop |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128090558/https://www.elca.org/About/Leadership/Churchwide-Officers/Presiding-Bishop |archive-date=2020-11-28 |access-date=2020-10-28 |website=ELCA.org |language=en}}</ref>

In 2016, Eaton was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Luther College.<ref>{{cite web |date=2017-02-02 |title=Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Receives Honorary Degree and Delivers Luther's Spring Convocation Address |url=http://www.decorahnews.com/news-stories/2017/02/15646.html |accessdate=2017-02-05 |publisher=Decorah News |archive-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206104908/http://www.decorahnews.com/news-stories/2017/02/15646.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Personal life == Eaton is married to T. Conrad Selnick, a priest of the Episcopal Church, who is vice president of the Bexley Seabury Seminary Federation in Chicago, and together they have two adult daughters, Rebeckah and Susannah.

== References == {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-rel|luth}} {{succession box | title=Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America | before=Mark Hanson | after=Yehiel Curry | years=2013–2025 }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Elizabeth}} Category:Presiding Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Category:20th-century American Lutheran clergy Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:21st-century Lutheran bishops Category:Religious leaders from Cleveland Category:College of Wooster alumni Category:Harvard Divinity School alumni Category:Women Lutheran bishops Category:1955 births Category:21st-century American Lutheran clergy