Episcopal Press and News
Bishop Sorge to Head Mission/Ministry Section
Episcopal News Service. June 12, 1980 [80222]
Greenwich, Conn. -- The Rt. Rev. Elliott Lorenz Sorge, former Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of South-Central Brazil and currently Field Officer for the Development of Ministry in the Episcopal Church, has been appointed Executive for Education for Mission and Ministry on the Episcopal Church Center staff.
The appointment was announced by Presiding Bishop John M. Allin to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church at its meeting here June 4-6. Bishop Sorge will succeed Bishop Richard B. Martin when he retires June 30.
Bishop Sorge, who has coordinated the work of the Council for the Development of Ministry since 1976, will head a staff section which includes a general group of program and staff services such as evangelism, lay ministry, youth and college ministry and Christian education.
As executive for this section, he will maintain liaison with the Board for Theological Education, the Church Deployment Office, and the Pastoral Development Office. The work of the Presiding Bishop's Suffragan for chaplaincies to the Armed Forces, to hospitals and prisons, is also included, as well as the Development of Ministry office.
Bishop Sorge, 51, was born in Michigan City, Ind., and received his B.A. degree from DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., and his M. Div. and honorary D. D. degrees from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill.
Following his ordination in 1954, he served missions and parishes in the Diocese of North Dakota before going to Brazil in 1964 as a missionary in the Igreja Episcopal do Brasil. He was consecrated Bishop of the newly created Diocese of South-Central Brazil in Sao Paulo, S.P., in 1971.
In the Brazilian Church, Bishop Sorge's special interest was theological education, and in a de-centralized program, six theological education centers for lay persons and ordinands were established.
Bishop Sorge is a collegial member of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church.
In 1959 he married Marjorie Aline Romine and they have two daughters and one son.