By Rev. Heather Apel
On Saturday, October 24, 2026, more than 500 people filled the sanctuary and overflow rooms of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Lexington, SC, and many more joined online, to be part of the service of Holy Eucharist with the Rite of Installation of the Reverend Wade Thomas Roof III as the fifth Bishop of the South Carolina Synod, ELCA.
The day was filled with joyous celebration and thanksgiving to God for this occasion in the life of the Church. The organ, bagpipes, drums and brass instruments resounded throughout the church as the congregation lifted its voice in song, prayer and commitment to pray and support Bishop Roof and receive him as a servant of God and shepherd in the church of Jesus Christ.
Water from three South Carolina rivers was poured into the baptismal font, symbolizing the unity of the people and ministries of the entire synod. The offering received will support various ministries of the South Carolina Synod, including Lutheran Homes of South Carolina, Lutheran Services Carolinas, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Newberry College, Novus Way, and South Carolina Lutheran Retreat Centers. Anyone who wishes to make a contribution may still do so using this link: https://scsynod.com/offering/.
The Reverend Yehiel Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), presided over the installation and preached the sermon, with the texts for the day being Joshua 1:6-9, Romans 12:1-21, and John 17. Bishop Curry’s message wove in Jesus’ prayer that all who believe in him may be one.
Bishop Curry told the story of the innovative work that Nucor Steel in Darlington, SC began decades ago. This company not only transforms raw material into usable manufacturing items, but has revolutionized their component of this industry as a pioneer in the concept of mini-mills to produce steel from scrap recyclable metal. Bishop Curry shared how Nucor’s journey of transformation was not without challenges and setbacks. As the first pour of their new process caused molten steel to pour through the vessel, they worried the furnace would explode. But in spite of this difficult start, the leaders and community acted quickly to bring things under control, and the company continues to grow and be renewed today.
Bishop Curry addressed Bishop Roof and those gathered, saying, “Bishop Wade, today you are called to serve among God’s people in South Carolina. This season is your first pour of steel. You will teach. You will guide. You will encourage. You will occasionally, also, disappoint people. You will miss the mark. People may panic. Welcome to the ministry. In those moments, I need you and us to remember that the church belongs to Christ. Not to a bishop. Not to the Churchwide organization. Not to a synod. Not even to us. Those gathered here today, South Carolina Synod, hear the good news. Our text tells us that Christ is praying for us and that Christ is present among us. The good news is that Christ isn’t finished with us. The fire of God’s Spirit is still burning. The Gospel is still being proclaimed. The Church is still being forged, and I don’t care what anyone says, the church is not dying. It is being transformed!”
The message of God’s transformative Spirit that brings broken people together in the church and shapes us into something new for the sake of God’s kingdom in the world, just as scrap metal is forged and reformed into strong steel, was echoed by the presence of lay people, deacons and pastors from across the South Carolina Synod and beyond who came together for this occasion. Bishops from the ELCA synods of North Carolina, Virginia, Southeastern and Florida-Bahamas, along with three of the previous bishops of South Carolina, and the Right Reverend Daniel P. Richards of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, all participated with Presiding Bishop Curry in the installation rite. “It’s a great honor to be here today as a recognition of our joint ministry between the Lutheran and Episcopal Churches. The bonds between the ELCA and the Episcopal Church in the United States has provided not only joint ministry, but in many ways is a picture of what union within the church can look like,” said Bishop Richards.
During the installation service, Bishop Roof was presented with three symbols of the Office of Bishop: a pectoral cross, with symbols representing Christ, the 12 apostles, the 4 Evangelists, the 5 wounds of Christ, and rays in the shape of the Palm tree, symbolic of South Carolina; a mitre, a unique hat in the shape of a flame, to represent the Holy Spirit at work among us; and a crozier, a shepherd’s staff that symbolizes the Office of the Bishop as the chief pastoral officer and caretaker of the rostered leaders, congregations, ministries and Lutherans within the synod.
Near the end of the service, Bishop Roof addressed the community, “It is not lost on me or any person gathered here, that this assembled people, this gathered worship, marks a special moment in the Reformational life of the South Carolina Synod, and God’s whole Church, as we come together as one witness, one voice, and one people and point to Christ’s, loving and living presence in the life of the world. It means something to be a South Carolina Lutheran. It means something to be a part of the ELCA. It means something to be the diverse Church of God gathered to worship and proclaim Christ crucified and risen. It means something to be Children of God, called, sanctified, and empowered to be Jesus’ hands and feet, and heart, for this hurting world. Thank you, people of God, for this opportunity to serve you, and thank you for your service and love for all God’s people. For the South Carolina Synod and the ELCA, we can say with confidence and hope, thanks be to God!”
The service was followed by a beautiful reception coordinated by members of the St. Stephen’s congregation. As people greeted one another, reconnected with friends, and took selfies with the newly installed Bishop, it was yet another witness of how the church comes together as one – to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate how God has called Rev. Roof as the Bishop of the South Carolina Synod, and we give thanks for the many ways each of us is called as a child of God in our community. Andrew Boozer, Vice President of the South Carolina Synod Council, summarized it in this way, “Today is such a great day as we get to pray for and celebrate Bishop Wade and his installation. It means a lot when we can all gather in person and online to join in unity and celebrate this monumental moment. But today is also the start of the next chapter in the South Carolina Synod and what the next 6 years of ministry will look like. What a great pep rally to start a new chapter for the people and ministries of the South Carolina Synod.”
