European Lutheran Council elects new president

by | May 27, 2014

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President Klaus Pahlen and President Emeritus Jean Thiébaut Haessig.

GERMANY – The European Lutheran Conference (ELC) elected Rev. Klaus Pahlen as its new president on May 24, 2014. The election came on the final day of the ELC’s 2014 conference held in Bleckmar, Germany.

President Klaus Pahlen has served as Dean of the Western District of Germany’s Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church since 2010. He was first elected to the committee of the ELC in 2012 when he became Vice-President. President Klaus continues to serve as a pastor of the Lutheran Church in Essen, Germany. From 1987-2003, he worked in Botswana translating the Bible into the Kalanga language.

President Pahlen succeeds President Jean Thiébaut Haessig, who served as ELC President from 2002-2014. President Haessig had earlier announced that he would not be seeking reelection. In addition to serving as President, Rev. Haessig served the ELC as Vice-President (1990-1993) and Secretary (1993-2002). He had served in these positions while President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church – Synod of France (EELSF), from which he retired in 2012. In total, President Emeritus Haessig had served 36 years on the EELSF’s Synodical Board, twelve of those years as President.

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The newly elected ELC Comittee: Vice-President Leif Jensen, President Klaus Pahlen, and Secretary George Samiec.

Also elected to serve on the ELC’s Committee was Rev. Leif Jensen as Vice-President and Rev. George Samiec was reelected to serve as Secretary. Rev. Jensen is President of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Denmark. He previously served as Secretary of the ELC during the 1980s. Rev. Samiec is Vice-Chairman of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in England. He has served the last eight years as Secretary for the ELC and also served a term as Vice-President.

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By Mathew Block

Mathew Block is Communications Manager for the International Lutheran Council. He is also editor of The Canadian Lutheran magazine, and formerly served as Communications Manager for Lutheran Church–Canada.

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