Rev. Yehiel Curry Becomes First Black Leader of the U.S.’s Largest Lutheran Denomination – NY Carib News
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on October 6, 2025
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — In a historic milestone for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Yehiel Curry was formally installed on Saturday as the denomination’s first Black presiding bishop, marking a transformative moment for one of the nation’s largest and predominantly white Protestant bodies.
Curry succeeds the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, the ELCA’s first female presiding bishop, who served for 12 years. His six-year term officially began on October 1, following his election at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly on July 30 in Phoenix.
“I’m hopeful that, if presence matters, me being here does something for allowing others to consider — someone who looks like me, or is from my community, or speaks with an accent, or whose mother tongue isn’t English — that they too could take on a similar role,” Curry said upon his election.
The installation ceremony took place at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and was attended by clergy and lay leaders from across the country.
Breaking Barriers in a Historically White Denomination
American Lutheranism has long been associated with its Scandinavian and German roots, particularly concentrated in the Upper Midwest. The ELCA remains more than 95% white, yet in recent years it has made strides toward supporting multicultural congregations and expanding its partnerships with Lutheran churches across Africa and Latin America.
“He is representing a very white denomination as a Black man from the United States,” said the Rev. Leila Ortiz, former bishop of the ELCA’s Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod. “It’s a daunting call, but I trust him, and I trust God. I can’t wait to watch.”
Curry’s appointment comes at a time of ongoing transition for mainline Protestant denominations, many of which face declining membership and internal debate over issues such as LGBTQ+ inclusion. The ELCA’s membership has fallen from 5.3 million in 1988 to 2.7 million today, though it remains the largest Lutheran body in the U.S.
Since 2009, the ELCA has blessed same-sex marriages and ordained LGBTQ+ clergy, appointing its first openly gay bishop in 2013 and its first openly transgender bishop in 2021.
From Chicago’s South Side to the Church’s Highest Office
Curry, 53, is the ELCA’s fifth presiding bishop since its founding in 1988. Before his election, he served as bishop of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, home to the ELCA’s headquarters.
Born the seventh of eleven children on Chicago’s South Side, Curry was raised Catholic and began his career as a social worker and public schoolteacher before entering ministry. His path to Lutheran leadership began unexpectedly when he and his wife visited Shekinah Chapel, a fledgling ELCA congregation in Chicago that ran mentorship programs for young Black men.
“There was a worship service I stayed for — and I loved it,” Curry recalled.
He became a lay leader, pursued theological studies, and was ordained in 2009 through the ELCA’s Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program, designed to train leaders in ethnic, multicultural, and inner-city contexts.
“That’s uncommon — where you get to lead in a place where you’ve been raised,” he reflected. “I now recognize how fortunate I am.”
Continuing a Legacy of Black Lutheran Leadership
Curry follows in the footsteps of trailblazing African American Lutheran leaders such as the Rev. Nelson Wesley Trout, the first Black ELCA synod bishop, and the Rev. Will Herzfeld, a presiding bishop of one of the ELCA’s predecessor denominations.
“Blacks have been around the Lutheran Church since it presented itself in New Amsterdam in the 1600s,” said the Rev. James Thomas, a retired seminary professor and author of A Rumor of Black Lutherans. “We have been present in some small way from the beginning.”
The Rev. Yolanda Denson-Byers, author of See Me, Believe Me, said Curry’s election underscores the deep but often overlooked contributions of Black Lutherans to global Lutheranism — particularly in Africa, where the church continues to grow rapidly.
“His leadership elevates the fact that African Americans have long contributed to Lutheranism, both here and globally,” Denson-Byers said.
A Dual Call to Leadership and Transformation
The Rev. Regina Hassanally, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Minnesota Synod, described Curry’s appointment as “a dual call — for him and the denomination.”
“There can be a temptation to think that calling a leader of color is enough,” she said. “But it also means creating support systems and allowing that person to lead fully — from all of their gifts and their full identity.”
As presiding bishop, Curry has signaled his intent to focus on connection, inclusion, and renewal across the denomination.
“Sometimes we create statements and strategies, and then we move on as leadership changes,” he said. “I want to take something we’ve already affirmed — and dig a little deeper.”
