Rohrer was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod in May after the current bishop announced his retirement. The Lutherans are one of the three largest denominations in the United States, with 3.3 million members, alongside the Methodists and Catholics.
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The dedication ceremony took place Saturday at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. “My calling is to keep doing the same messy, loving things I did before,” Rohrer confided to her audience. “But above all, if you allow me, and I think you will, I hope to love you and all that you love.”
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Rohrer, who doesn’t want to be addressed as he or she, but as they, previously served as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco and a chaplain coordinator for the city’s police. She also helped the homeless and LGTBQ community in the city.
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In 2010, Rohrer became one of seven LGBTQ pastors accepted by the progressive Evangelical Lutheran Church after it allowed the ordination of pastors into same-sex relationships. Rohrer is married and has two children.
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