Mark Hanson
Encyclopedia
Mark S. Hanson is the third and current Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
. Before being elected presiding bishop, he served as bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod
. Prior to being elected synod bishop, he served as pastor of three Minnesota
congregations: Prince of Glory Lutheran Church, Minneapolis; Edina Community Lutheran Church; and University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis. In addition to serving as Presiding Bishop, Hanson was the 11th President
of the Lutheran World Federation
.
on December 2, 1946. He was raised in a Lutheran
family in Minnesota. His father was a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church
. Hanson graduated from Minnehaha Academy
in 1964, and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology
from Augsburg College
in 1968. He was a Rockefeller Fellow at Union Theological Seminary
from 1968 to 1969, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1972, and attended Luther Seminary
, St. Paul, Minnesota
, from 1973 to 1974. He was a Merrill Fellow at Harvard University
Divinity School
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
, in 1979.
in 1974, Hanson served as pastor at Prince of Glory Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1973 to 1979; Edina Community Lutheran Church, Edina, Minnesota, from 1979 to 1988; and University Lutheran Church of Hope, Minneapolis, from 1988 to 1995. He was elected Bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1995, and had been reelected to a second term prior to his election as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA in 2001.
In 2003, Hanson was elected President of the Lutheran World Federation
, a role which he served concurrently with his role as ELCA Presiding Bishop. He serves on the executive council on the executive board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
Hanson is author of Faithful Yet Changing: The Church in Challenging Times (Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis: 2002). In 2007 Hanson was reelected on the second ballot, making him the longest-serving Presiding Bishop in the ELCA's history.
, Wittenberg University
, and Grand View University, Doctor of Humanities from Capital University
, Doctor of Divinity from Lenoir-Rhyne College
, Wartburg Theological Seminary
, Susquehanna University
, Wartburg College
, and The Academy of Ecumenical Indian Theology and Church Administration.
. Before the Hansons moved to Chicago, she was director of social work at Minneapolis and St. Paul Children's Hospitals. The Hansons are the parents of Aaron, Alyssa, Rachel, Ezra, Isaac and Elizabeth, and grandparents to Naomi, Kingston, Sam, Danielle.
Publishers.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
. Before being elected presiding bishop, he served as bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod
Saint Paul Area Synod
The Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a synod, or diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . The synod consists of all the congregations within its territory which is the eastern metropolitan Twin Cities. The synod is headed by a bishop, currently...
. Prior to being elected synod bishop, he served as pastor of three Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
congregations: Prince of Glory Lutheran Church, Minneapolis; Edina Community Lutheran Church; and University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis. In addition to serving as Presiding Bishop, Hanson was the 11th President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
.
Early Life and Education
Mark S. Hanson was born in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
on December 2, 1946. He was raised in a Lutheran
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
family in Minnesota. His father was a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church (United States)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church or ELC was formed in 1917 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America .-Background:The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was formed by merger of the Hauge Synod , the Norwegian Synod , and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America...
. Hanson graduated from Minnehaha Academy
Minnehaha Academy
Minnehaha Academy is a Christian private school in Minneapolis, Minnesota for students in preschool through 12th grade, and established in 1913. It is owned by the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and is located in the Cooper and Longfellow neighborhoods. The student body...
in 1964, and earned a bachelor's degree in sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
from Augsburg College
Augsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
in 1968. He was a Rockefeller Fellow at Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
from 1968 to 1969, where he received a Master of Divinity degree in 1972, and attended Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary
Luther Seminary is the largest seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . Located in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood of St...
, St. Paul, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, from 1973 to 1974. He was a Merrill Fellow at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, in 1979.
Religious Career
Following his ordinationOrdination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
in 1974, Hanson served as pastor at Prince of Glory Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota from 1973 to 1979; Edina Community Lutheran Church, Edina, Minnesota, from 1979 to 1988; and University Lutheran Church of Hope, Minneapolis, from 1988 to 1995. He was elected Bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod
Saint Paul Area Synod
The Saint Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a synod, or diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . The synod consists of all the congregations within its territory which is the eastern metropolitan Twin Cities. The synod is headed by a bishop, currently...
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in 1995, and had been reelected to a second term prior to his election as Presiding Bishop of the ELCA in 2001.
In 2003, Hanson was elected President of the Lutheran World Federation
Lutheran World Federation
The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran churches headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish city of Lund in the aftermath of the Second World War in 1947 to coordinate the activities of the...
, a role which he served concurrently with his role as ELCA Presiding Bishop. He serves on the executive council on the executive board of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
Hanson is author of Faithful Yet Changing: The Church in Challenging Times (Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis: 2002). In 2007 Hanson was reelected on the second ballot, making him the longest-serving Presiding Bishop in the ELCA's history.
Bishop of the E.L.C.A.
In 2005, he mourned the death of Pope John Paul II, especially for his contributions to the ecumenical movement. Since being elected presiding bishop, he has received several honorary degrees, including Doctor of Humane Letters from Augsburg CollegeAugsburg College
Augsburg College is a selective liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Augsburg was named for the Augsburg Confession, the document of Lutheran belief. The school was founded in 1869 in Marshall, Wisconsin as Augsburg Seminary and moved...
, Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University
Wittenberg University is a private four-year liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio serving 2,000 full-time students representing 37 states and approximately 30 foreign countries...
, and Grand View University, Doctor of Humanities from Capital University
Capital University
Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
, Doctor of Divinity from Lenoir-Rhyne College
Lenoir-Rhyne College
Lenoir–Rhyne University is a co-educational, private liberal arts university founded in 1891 and located in Hickory, North Carolina, USA. The university is affiliated with the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ....
, Wartburg Theological Seminary
Wartburg Theological Seminary
Wartburg Theological Seminary is a Lutheran seminary located in Dubuque, Iowa. It offers three graduate-level degrees , a TEEM Certificate, and a Diploma in Anglican Studies, all of which are accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission of the...
, Susquehanna University
Susquehanna University
Susquehanna University is a liberal arts college in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the state capital, Harrisburg.-Academics:...
, Wartburg College
Wartburg College
Wartburg College is a selective four-year liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Waverly, Iowa. Wartburg West is in Denver, Colorado....
, and The Academy of Ecumenical Indian Theology and Church Administration.
Personal
He is married to Ione (Agrimson) Hanson from Hettinger, North DakotaHettinger, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,307 people, 584 households, and 345 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,556.6 people per square mile . There were 720 housing units at an average density of 857.5 per square mile...
. Before the Hansons moved to Chicago, she was director of social work at Minneapolis and St. Paul Children's Hospitals. The Hansons are the parents of Aaron, Alyssa, Rachel, Ezra, Isaac and Elizabeth, and grandparents to Naomi, Kingston, Sam, Danielle.
Publications
He is the author of Faithful Yet Changing; the Church in Challenging Times, and Faithful and Courageous; Christians in Unsettling Times, both from Augsburg FortressAugsburg Fortress
Augsburg Fortress is the official publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and also publishes for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada as Augsburg Fortress Canada...
Publishers.