This week in Christian history: ELCA elects first woman leader, first Methodist preacher arrives in Australia

ELCA elects first female leader – Aug. 14, 2013

This week marks the anniversary of when the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton became the first woman to be elected presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Eaton, who at the time was bishop of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, was elected presiding bishop with 600 votes, beating out incumbent Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, who received 287 votes.

The election was held at the 2013 Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Eaton delivering remarks before those gathered shortly after the historic vote.

"We are a church that is overwhelmingly European in a culture that is increasingly pluralistic," said Eaton. "We need to welcome the gifts of those who come from different places; that is a conversation we need to have as a church."

Eaton was later reelected presiding bishop in August 2019, receiving 725 votes out of the 897 votes cast on the first ballot. This year, Eaton did not seek reelection for a third term.