The Rev. Dr. Stephen Paul Bouman was elected bishop of the Metropolitan New York Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in June of 1996 and officially assumed office in September of that year. The Metropolitan New York Synod, or district, embraces the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island, and several counties north and west. It includes 236 member congregations.

Bishop Bouman is a graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary/Seminex and holds the Doctor of Ministry degree from New York Theological Seminary. He began his pastoral ministry in 1973 at St. Jacobus Lutheran Church, Woodside, Queens. He then pastored Atonement Lutheran Church, Jackson Heights, from 1974 until 1981; and Trinity Lutheran Church, Bogota, New Jersey from 1982 through 1992.

Bishop Bouman is founder of the Diaconia ministry education program, which trains lay people for ministry in local congregations. His parish ministry also included building strong multicultural outreach, the launching of two parochial schools, and a variety of ministries of assistance and advocacy among the poor.

Pastor Bouman served as Assistant to the Bishop from 1992 until his election as bishop in 1996. His responsibilities in this capacity included regional care of congregations in the Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester and northern counties of the Hudson Valley. In addition, he bore primary responsibility for evangelism and social ministry, as well as worship and communications. He also served as Chair of the ELCA Board of Higher Education and Schools.

Bishop Bouman is a published author of a number of scholarly articles, books, curricula and devotionals, and is currently serving as editorial associate and columnist for Lutheran Partners and Lutheran Forum magazines.

Professor Kathryn Koob holds a B.A. degree in speech/drama and religion from Wartburg College, an M.A. degree in theatre from the University of Denver, and an M.A.R. degree from Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, PA. She also has been awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Gwynedd Mercy College and Uppsala College. She studied acting at the HB Studios with Herbert Berghof in New York City, where she was also a critic for off-Broadway shows with Show Business, a theatre trade journal.

Her teaching experience includes a variety of work in public and private secondary schools. She was the McKinley Scholar in Residence at Malone, Walsh, and Mount Union Colleges in Canton, Ohio. She has worked extensively with community theatre in both the United States and in Zambia, where she won the best director award at the National Theatre Festival.

She spent more than 27 years in the diplomatic service of the United States, working primarily in the area of cultural and educational exchange. In addition, she served as speech writer for several ambassadors. She is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and AAUW and serves on the Iowa State Board of the United Nations Association.