The Synod Assembly

This year’s ELCA representative is Kristen Opalinski, Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations Manager, ELCA.

Kristen serves on the staff of the Office of the Presiding Bishop as Manager for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations. Her work includes staffing various ecumenical bodies, managing a variety of communication platforms, and deepening opportunities for ecumenical and inter-religious formation and leadership throughout the ELCA.

Kristen was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, growing up as a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Latrobe, where her father served as a pastor for over twenty years. She is a graduate of Augsburg University in Minneapolis and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), where she earned a Master of Arts in Religion with specializations in public leadership and conflict transformation.