Hartner - Photo by Cetera Jacobs Creative

By Susan Shinn Turner

For the Salisbury Post

The North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has elected its first female bishop.

Some 541 voting members elected the Rev. Emily Hartner, 43, on the fifth and final ballot Saturday afternoon at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.

Hartner has pastored Holy Trinity, Charlotte for the past eight years.

With the results of the second ballot on Friday morning, the assembly members knew there would be a strong chance of electing a female bishop, as the top three candidates were women. That trend continued through the next three ballots.

At her election, Hartner said, “I don’t have a lot to say except I love you and the Lord Jesus. I look forward to our time together.”

On Sunday afternoon, she admitted the election process was “overwhelming, terrifying, exciting, humbling and exhausting.”

She added, “I kept trying to be as honest as I could about my pastoral identity. When the top three candidates were announced, I was so excited that we knew that our next bishop would be a woman. Overall, I felt a deep, deep love for the church throughout the whole weekend. It felt very similar to the way I felt when I was initially called to be a pastor.

“I plan to spend a good portion of the next month saying goodbye to my current congregation and then familiarizing myself with the synod office and particularities of the role of bishop.

“As I shared during the assembly, I really envision a synod that leans into the work of collaboration, sharing the gifts we have with one another, and recognizing the abundance of what God has given us.”

Bishop-elect Hartner received a B.S. degree in psychology and French from Davidson College; an M. Div. degree from Yale University; and a master of sacred theology degree in Lutheran Studies from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.

She and her husband, Ian, have a son, Oliver, 9. Hartner will take office on Aug. 1 for a six-year term. She will be installed at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte on Nov. 15.

Delegates of all ages agreed the time was right to elect a female bishop.

Congregation council president Mark Lewis was part of a nine-member delegation from St. John’s, Salisbury.

“I think a little youth would be a good thing,” he said.

“I’m ecstatic,” Bishop Tim Smith said. “We have capable, older white ministers. But we also have diverse younger group of women.”

Yet congregational ministry remains a huge challenge for women, said Bishop Emeritus Leonard Bolick, who attended as a guest with wife Rita.

“It is a huge step for us to have a bishop who is a woman,” he said, “because there are still congregations who are hesitant to call a woman. This doesn’t mean the journey is over, but this was a good learning experience for the folks who are here.”

“I have been hoping for this for a long time,” said the Rev. Sonny Bolick of Hickory, who’s been ordained for 67 years.

Brittany Rogers, who attends Holy Trinity, Mount Pleasant, first attended assembly as a college student in 2009. She was at this year’s assembly with her mom, Tammy Gentle.

“I love it,” Rogers said Friday morning. “It makes me really excited about the possibility of having a female bishop. I would like a young female to take the synod in a new direction and hopefully grow it.”

Rogers got her wish.

In other business, the assembly:

• Received Emmaus, a congregation serving the Charlotte Metro Area and led by the Rev. Dr. Shanitria Cuthbertson, as the newest synod congregation.
• Named retiring Bishop Tim Smith as bishop emeritus.
• Presented the ELCA Meritorious Service Medallion to retiring Navy chaplain John Connolly for his years of service.
• Passed a resolution asking the bishop and congregations to contact their legislators in support of refugee resettlement.
• Recognized retiring NC Synod Vice President Diana Haywood for her 18 years of service.
• Elected Cameron McCall as NC Synod vice president and Jill Nelson as NC Synod secretary.
• Welcomed special guests, the Rev. Tita Valeriano, ELCA Program Director for Asian and Pacific Islander Ministries; and Deacon MaryAnn Schwabe, the ELCA’s executive for synod relations.
• Received video reports from various ministries and mission partners, including a report from Camp Lutheridge on the occasion of its 75th birthday this year.