Presiding Bishop

A presiding bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity.

The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is the chief ecumenical officer of the church, and the leader and caretaker for the bishops of the synods. The presiding bishop chairs the biennial Church-wide Assembly and provides for the preparation of agendas for the assembly, the Church Council and its executive committee, the Conference of Bishops, and the Cabinet of Executives. The Presiding Bishop of the ELCA is elected to a six-year term, available for re-election and is charged with initiating policy, developing strategy and overseeing administration of the entire church. The presiding bishop also serves as a figurehead and speaks on behalf of the entire church.

The ELCA's third Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, served two six-year terms from 2001 to 2013. Elizabeth Eaton was elected as the fourth (and first female) presiding bishop in August 2013.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), a mainline Lutheran body similar to the ELCA, uses the term "national bishop" for a similar position. Most other Lutheran churches in North America, especially the Confessional Lutheran bodies use a congregationalist structure and call their national leaders "president." The Lutheran Churches of Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia all use the term Archbishop.

In the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, the Presiding Bishop is the chief pastor and primate of the national church and its nine ecclesiastical provinces. The Presiding Bishop is charged with responsibility for leadership in initiating, developing, and articulating policy and strategy, overseeing the administration of the national church staff, and speaking for the church on issues of concern and interest. He or she is the president of the House of Bishops and is elected by the church's General Convention to serve a single nine-year term. The correct clerical style for the Presiding Bishop is "The Most Reverend".

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