Office of the Bishop

Your synod staff works to accompany congregations in all areas of ministry including candidacy, the call process, formation, leadership development, stewardship, evangelism, church finance, youth & young adult ministries, congregational management, and conflict resolution.

Rev. Joy Mortensen-Wiebe
Bishop

(she/her/hers) – What’s This?
joymw@scsw-elca.org

Bishop Joy Mortensen-Wiebe was elected in 2020 to serve as bishop of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin-ELCA. Bishop Joy is returning to our synod after previously serving as our Interim Director for Evangelical Mission in 2018 and as an intentional interim pastor at First Lutheran Church in Beaver Dam in 2017. She most recently served as pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Slinger, Wis.. Previously she served several Wisconsin churches including St. Paul in Mayville, Living Hope in Saukville, All Saints in Oshkosh; and Grace in Tomahawk. Bishop Joy also served as Associate to the Bishop in the East Central Synod of Wisconsin from 2004-2014 and as pastor chaplain of Lutheran Homes of Oshkosh Inc.

Bishop Joy received a Bachelor of Science degree from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis., in 1988, a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., in 1992, and a Master of Education degree from Lakeland University in Plymouth, Wis., in 2004. Bishop Joy is married to the Rev. Darin Wiebe and they have two daughters, Elida and Julia.

Rev. Walter Baires
Associate to the Bishop, Director for Evangelical Mission

(he/him/his) – What’s This?
walterb@scsw-elca.org

Rev. Walter Baires serves as the Director for Evangelical Mission and Associate to the Bishop.  He was called to this position in April, 2019 and started in the office on May 1, 2019. Rev. Baires was ordained in the Lutheran Church of El Salvador in 1994. He graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 1993. He served as associate pastor at Resurrection Lutheran in San Salvador, director of the Sister Parish Program, and vice-president of the Salvadoran Lutheran Synod.  Beginning in 2001, he began serving as co-pastor at Ascension Lutheran Church, a multicultural congregation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During his time at Ascension he also has served as vice-president of the Latino Ethnic Association of the ELCA, coordinator of the Synodical Latino Strategy and member of the ELCA Latino Strategy monitoring team. Rev. Baires is married to Elizabeth, an ELCA pastor currently serving as bridge pastor at Saint Luke Lutheran in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Their children are Atzin (31), Itzel (29), and Walter Jr. (27).

Talk to Walter about:

• The Faithful Innovation Process
• Exploring Shared Ministry Opportunities
• Mission Development
• Congregational Redevelopment

Rev. Peter Beeson
Associate to the Bishop for Generosity

(he/him/his) – What’s This?
peterb@scsw-elca.org

Peter began serving on synod staff as Associate to the Bishop for Generosity in September 2021.  He is reachable on Wednesdays and checking email and telephone messages during that time.  He is also available for evening appointments, Sunday stewardship visits, and looks forward to being with congregations and conferences in our synod to preach, teach, listen, and talk about stewardship and God’s generosity.  Peter will be continuing to serve as pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Madison, where he was called in 2018.

Peter previously served St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Church in Hoboken, NJ where he was on the Fiscal Management, Administration, and Property Committee for the New Jersey Synod. Prior to that he was on the staff of Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington DC where he served on the Stewardship & Mission Support Table for the Metro DC Synod.  In his former life he worked in technology project management in higher ed and is excited to have his loves of stewardship, real estate, and celebrating God’s generosity come together to resource congregations in our synod to use all our assets for building the Kingdom of God.  Peter and his family live in Madison, where they’ve fallen in love with the lakes and nature spaces.

Talk to Peter about:

• Stewardship and Generosity
• Holy Closure
• Questions about Church Buildings and Use of Space

Rev. Jen Christenson
Associate to the Bishop for Candidacy & Community

(she/her/hers) – What’s This?
jenc@scsw-elca.org

The Rev. Jen Christenson joined the synod staff as the Associate to the Bishop for Communication and Relationship in February 2022. Her primary focus is helping to share the story of our ministry together in the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin. Rev. Christenson enjoys hearing about both the joys and challenges our synod’s congregations face and finding ways to connect our leaders and ministries with the synod and with one another.

Rev. Christenson is a graduate of Monona Grove High School and obtained a degree in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994. She worked in various roles at a major health insurance company, including as a Legislative Communication Analyst, before discerning her call to ministry. Rev. Christenson received her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in 2002 and was ordained in the same year. Prior to joining the staff of the SCSW, she was privileged to serve at Grace Lutheran Church, Green Bay; St. John Lutheran Church, Ashwaubenon; and Christus Lutheran Church, Greenville, Wis.

Talk to Jen about:

• Candidacy
• Communication requests
• Social Media
• Connecting with colleagues
• Sharing stories about your ministry

Marie Leafblad
Associate to the Bishop for Leadership Support

(she/her/hers) – What’s This?
mariel@scsw-elca.org

Marie joined the Office of the Bishop in March 2021 as the Associate to the Bishop for Leadership Support. In this role, she focuses on mobility, relational networking, care of congregations, council trainings, and youth and family ministries. Marie holds a Master’s degree in Global and Contextual Studies from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota (2013), and a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies and World Religions from North Park University (2008).

After years of serving in Baptist and Non-Denominational churches, Marie was drawn to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for its theology, inclusivity, and emphasis on grace. Her journey to the ELCA began when a beloved neighbor invited her to a “Beer & Hymns” event at his church in Minneapolis. This experience, coupled with the church’s welcoming community, inspired Marie to explore and ultimately embrace the ELCA.  In November, 2015, she began serving as the Youth and Family Director at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Slinger, Wisconsin, where she cultivated a strong foundation in youth and family ministry in that community. Before her call to St. Luke, Marie was the general manager at Barley John’s Brew Pub, which she affectionately describes as “the best church she’s ever served.”

Marie has extensive international experience, having worked in disaster relief, orphanage care, and with various organizations and businesses in Nepal, Kenya, Haiti, and Guatemala. Additionally, she serves as a Discipling Peer Coach with the ELCA, and works with our Companion Synod in India.

Talk to Marie about:

• Call Process, Mobility & Transitions in the Congregation
• Leadership Support
• Children, Youth & Family Ministry Support & Events
• Youth Gatherings

Rev. Jason Poole-Xiong
Contract Staff – Website & Digital Media

(he/him/his) – What’s This?
jasonx@scsw-elca.org

Jason serves as the content manager for our synod website and YouTube channel along with assisting synod staff with other digital media. He also serves in a volunteer capacity as our ELCA Youth Gathering Synod Champion working with congregations planning to attend the tri-annual ELCA Youth Gatherings. Jason graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 2020 and serves concurrently as Pastor at United in Christ Lutheran Church in Morrisonville, WI. Pastor Jason has served in ministry in various roles since 2003 in congregations in Michigan, Illinois, and now Wisconsin while concurrently working in Hotel Management prior to seminary.

Jason serves on various ministry teams with both our South-Central Synod of Wisconsin including LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Pastor Jason and his husband live in Madison and enjoy the outdoors including camping, fishing, hiking. They love to travel with family and friends, along with cooking and binge watching television shows. In ministry Jason is passionate about youth ministry, social justice, equality, inclusion, and seeking new ways to engage all people in the life of the church.

Talk to Jason about:

• Synod Website
• ELCA Youth Gathering

Becky Johnson
Contract Staff – Accountant/Financial Consultant

Becky Johnson serves as our Synod Accountant and consultant on our financials working alongside our elected Synod Treasurer. She handles all accounts payable and prepares our financial statements.