WEST COLUMBIA, SC — The Rev. Wade Thomas Roof, III, currently serving as Senior Pastor at Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, West Columbia, S. C., was elected June 13 as bishop-elect of the South Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The election took place during the annual Synod Assembly, meeting June 11-13 at the Brookland Baptist Banquet and Conference Center in West Columbia. Guided by the assembly theme, “Created to Create” (Ephesians 2:10), voting members cast their ballots on Saturday morning.
Roof was elected on the 5th ballot, receiving 190 votes. The Rev. Rick Carter received 178 votes. A total of 368 votes were cast, with 185 needed for election.
“I hope we will find a whole lot of joy as we walk together. This call is about the Church, and we are called to move forward together as the Church of Christ. We will serve each other and move forward. Glory be to God!” Roof told the assembly shortly after the election was announced.
The bishop serves as the synod’s pastor and is called to administer sacraments, preach, provide pastoral care, advise, ordain, advocate, interpret, and serve as the ecumenical officer.
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About the Bishop-elect
Prior to the election, Roof served as Senior Pastor of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in West Columbia. He graduated from Newberry College in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He received his Master of Divinity Degree from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 2009 and is in Doctoral Studies in Congregational Leadership at Gardner Webb School of Divinity. Roof thanks his wife, Irina, his daughter Abby Grace, and his son Blackburn for their support and love. He looks forward to building relationships and loving God’s people.
Rev. Wade Thomas Roof, III will succeed the Rev. Virginia Aebischer, who has served as synodical bishop since 2020. The bishop-elect will take office September 1, 2026 and will begin a six-year term.
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with more than 3 million members in nearly 8,700 congregations 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.
About the South Carolina Synod
The ELCA South Carolina Synod is a faith community of over 36,600 baptized people in 137 congregations and worship communities throughout South Carolina. The South Carolina Synod is one of 65 synods that make up the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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