Bishop Brenda Bos elected to serve a six-year term as Bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

LSS President and CEO Dr. LaSharnda Beckwith joined ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and ELCA Pacifica Synod Bishop Andy Taylor for the installation of ELCA Southwest CA Synod Bishop, Brenda Bos. Following her election, Bishop Bos joined Bishop Taylor and LCMS President Mike Gibson as one-third of the presiding prelate which governs LSS Southern California and it’s Board of Directors. Dr. Beckwith was on hand to meet with several local and regional clergy and leaders to welcome Bishop Bos to the organization.

The Rev. Brenda Bos was elected to serve a six-year term as Bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America on June 5, 2021. The election took place during the 33rd Assembly of the Southwest California Synod, the first virtual assembly in the synod territory. She is the first woman to serve as bishop in the Southwest California Synod, and the first openly lesbian bishop to serve the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her term of office began September 1, 2021, and her Installation took place on September 12, 2021, at the historic Angelica Lutheran Church in Los Angeles, a service that honored the rich immigrant history of Southern California and featured the work of artist throughout the synod.

A native Californian, Bishop Bos was ordained in 2014 in her home congregation of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, a congregation known for its welcome of LGBTQ people. She attended Claremont School of Theology and Pacific Lutheran Theology Seminary, receiving a Masters of Divinity and Certificate of Theological Studies. Before entering the ministry, Bishop-elect Bos was a television producer at Warner Bros. studios, working on sitcoms such as “The George Lopez Show” and “The Golden Girls.” She holds a bachelors degree in Broadcasting from Pepperdine University.

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