Susan Briner reelected bishop of ELCA Southwestern Texas Synod

​CHICAGO —The Rev. Susan J. Briner, Seguin, Texas, was reelected May 5 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election was held during the synod assembly, May 3-5, at the Omni Hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Briner was reelected on the fifth ballot, with 146 votes. The Rev. Michael C. Coffey, lead interim pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Brenham, Texas, received 104 votes.

Briner was elected bishop of the Southwestern Texas Synod in 2018. She previously served as a bishop's associate in the synod (2012 to 2018) and as pastor of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Summerville, S.C. (2003 to 2012).

The bishop earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Duke University in Durham, N.C., in 1984, and a Master of Divinity degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary (LTSS) in Columbia, S.C., in 2003. LTSS is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

Information about the Southwestern Texas Synod is available at swtsynod.org/.

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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 3 million members in more than 8,600 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.

For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
773-380-2877
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org