LDRNY leader – Bishop Bouman – takes new call in Chicago

         The Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is taking a new call to the national ELCA office in Chicago as director of Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission (EOCM). The call will begin Jan. 1.

           Bishop Bouman is especially known to LDRNY because he founded the organization, along with the Rev. Dr. David Benke, president of the Atlantic District, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

           Both the Bishop and Dr. Benke felt strongly that there should be a New York City expression of the national office of Lutheran Disaster Response, which was based in Chicago.

           For the past six years, Bishop Bouman and Dr. Benke have worked closely, in a unique ecumenical relationship that brought both sides of the Lutheran Church together on projects and programs that helped victims of Sept. 11. Each had taken turns serving as president and vice president of the organization.

           Earlier this year, Bishop Bouman wrote a book, Grace All Around Us, which explored how God is present in everyday lives since Sept. 11.

           During his leadership at LDRNY, the organization grew to be a model religious disaster-response effort, and was often cited by the Department of Homeland Security.

In addition, LDRNY was a founding member of the New York Disaster Interfaith Services and the 9/11 Unmet Needs Roundtable, which continues to help those affected by Sept. 11.

     "Saying good-bye is so incredibly difficult. I have shared so much of my life with the wonderful lives of the people of this synod and this metropolis.  We went through Ground Zero together.  We buried our dead and re-imagined the church in the wake of that tragedy," Bouman said.  "We have planted so many new ministries among people who are the road not taken by traditional Lutheranism."

     "In some ways mission and ministry in the Metropolitan New York Synod has been going to school on what mission and ministry are going to be like all across our country in the coming decades," Bouman said.  "I've learned some things, and I'm looking forward to sharing them with the wider church.”

     "We have a lot to learn from each other, and it will be my joy to advocate and agitate for the missional heart of this church as the director of EOCM.  I look forward to getting on the road with my many new colleagues who will share with me the ministries to which God has called them," Bouman said.

        Dr. Benke had this to say about Bishop Bouman. "As my dear friend and colleague in ministry, Bishop Stephen Bouman has accepted the challenge of a new call to ministry in top mission leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Judy and I want to extend our love to him and his wife, Janet, as they prepare for the transition. We have not only been joined to one another through response to the firestorm of Sept. 11, 2001, but the four of us have roots that extend to college and seminary days, and then to our common first move to New York City together in 1973.

       "We shared our holidays and family gatherings back in the day, and Bishop Bouman was the liturgist at my installation as pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Brooklyn in June 1975. It's not that our paths have crossed. We have been walking the same trail as brothers in Gospel ministry for all these years.
       "Lutheran Disaster Response of New York is perhaps the most visible sign of our enduring friendship. And its substantial accomplishments were anchored not only in our common bond of faith, but also in our fraternal love for one another. Bishop Bouman, and Janet, have left a legacy in New York, and in Judy's and my heart, that will continue to flourish across the miles. May the Lord's richest blessing be theirs, and may the Gospel light continue to shine brightly in their hearts and ministry for years to come."

     Bishop Bouman's new call was announced Nov. 13 ny the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop.

     "Bishop Bouman has exemplified in his parish and synodical ministries leadership that is Christ centered, Spirit gifted, biblically engaged, theologically formed and contextually shaped," Hanson said in a prepared statement.  "He has a passion to proclaim Christ, make disciples and build up the church for the sake of the world."

     "Bishop Bouman developed a Diakonia program with over 800 graduates, some of whom are serving as pastors," Hanson said.  "Under his leadership over 35 new ministries have been initiated.  Worship occurs in over 25 languages in the synod," he said.

     Hanson recalled that Bouman saw the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod through the challenges of dealing with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  He listed other "hallmarks" of Bouman's leadership as bishop: "accompanying those who live in poverty, working together for a more just society, extending hospitality to the immigrant, striving to become a multicultural, diverse church while building upon our strong global and ecumenical partnerships."

     Born April 14, 1947, in Melrose Park, Ill., Bouman is a graduate of Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. He earned a master of sacred theology degree and a doctorate in ministry from New York Theological Seminary, New York.  General Theological Seminary, New York, awarded him an honorary doctor of divinity degree in 2001.

     Ordained in 1973 by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Bouman served as pastor of Christ and St. Jacobus Lutheran Church, Woodside, Queens, N.Y., and Atonement Lutheran Church, Jackson Heights, Queens, N.Y.  His pastoral call was transferred to the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (AELC) in 1977, and he served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Bogota, N.J., from 1982 to 1992.  The AELC, American Lutheran Church and Lutheran Church in America formed the ELCA in 1988.

     In 1992 Bouman became an assistant to the bishop of the ELCA Metropolitan New York Synod and in 1996 was elected to succeed the Rev. James E. Sudbrock as bishop.  The synod elected Bouman to a second six-year term as bishop in 2002.

     Bouman is author of several articles, curricula, devotionals and books, including "From the Parish for the Life of the World," published in 2000 by Augsburg Fortress, and "Grace All Around Us," published in 2007 by Augsburg Books.  Augsburg Fortress is the publishing ministry of the ELCA.

     Bouman and his wife Janet are the parents of three adult children, and three grandchildren.

           God’s blessings to Bishop Bouman.

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