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. Charlotte Eversoll
Associate to the Bishop for Mobility and Transition

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

As a second career pastor with 33 years of foundational experience as a business and marketing manager and fund development officer, Charlotte brings a unique blend of strategic organizational skills, vision, and practical leadership to pastoral ministry. Ordained in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, she is deeply passionate about helping rural congregations adapt, navigate transition, and live into their own unique call within God’s mission for the body of Christ in the world.
Her pastoral journey began in Emerson, Nebraska, where she spent three years serving as Pastor of St. Paul’s and St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Churches, accompanying them in developing an innovative way of being church together – one church sharing two buildings. She then served 1.5 years as Interim Pastor for Christ Lutheran Church in Lancaster and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Burton, two small rural congregations in Southwestern Wisconsin, walking alongside members through a season of transition that culminated in the successful calling of a first-call pastor.

Currently, Charlotte serves as the called pastor in partnership with the people of Faith Lutheran Church in Cuba City, Wisconsin. Serving in a part-time capacity allows her to continue to answer God’s call to walk with rural congregations during pivotal moments of growth and change. Expanding on this work, in January 2026 she stepped into the role of Transition Steward for congregations in the Southwestern region of the ELCA South-Central Synod of Wisconsin, guiding churches as they embrace God’s future with clarity and purpose.

As a member of the Synod Staff, Charlotte looks forward to using the gifts God has given her to accompany and support members of the body of Christ who are in transition; guiding them into listening and discerning God’s call for them in this time and in this place.

Talk to Marilyn about:

• Call Process, Mobility & Transitions in the Congregation
• Leadership Support

Rev. Don Glanzer
Associate to the Bishop for Mobility and Transition

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

Before enrolling in Wartburg Theological Seminary in Summer, 2009, Don was an officer in the United States Army Military Police Corps, assigned in West Berlin, Germany for about 4 years. After his time in the US Army, Don was a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 25 years, serving in California, Illinois, and Wisconsin, with additional temporary assignments throughout the U.S. He retired from the FBI in July, 2009.

Don received a call to St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Loganville, and was ordained in 2014. He served St. Peter’s congregation for eight years. Don has also served as an interim pastor at Burke Lutheran Church in the town of Burke, a call to St. John Lutheran Church in Reedsburg, and an interim call at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, which ended in April, 2026.

Don is excited for this new opportunity and call with the SCSW staff, and looks forward to assisting and walking with congregations as needs arise.

Talk to Don about:

• Call Process, Mobility & Transitions in the Congregation
• Leadership Support

Rev. Carrie Greenquist Peterson
Associate to the Bishop for Accompaniment

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

Rev. Carrie Greenquist Peterson is a Wisconsin native (by way of Madison, Houston, and South Florida) who found her way back home to the Lutheran church (and her beloved Midwest) after years exploring other faith traditions. She served at Tree of Life Lutheran north of Houston as Director of Women’s Ministry and Pastoral Care while earning her M.Div. at Wartburg Theological Seminary.
After ordination, she served as associate pastor at St. Luke’s in Middleton, and most recently led Wartburg’s Certificate programs and contemplative practice groups. She is married with one grown daughter and two French Bulldogs, and what she loves most is accompanying people in the mystery of faith through spiritual practice and creative worship. Carrie is excited to bring that passion to this new role alongside the synod staff and people of South Central Wisconsin.

Talk to Carrie about:

• Ritual and Liturgical Practices
• Spiritual Formation

Rev. Marilyn Lange
Associate to the Bishop for Candidacy and Care

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

Rev. Marilyn Lange is a graduate of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. She was ordained into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA in 2015. She has served congregations in the East Central Synod of Wisconsin and as an interim pastor in the Wisconsin Conference UCC before moving to the South Central Synod of Wisconsin, where she has been serving St. Luke’s Lutheran in Sullivan since 2022.

Her passions in ministry include preaching, reflective storytelling, cultivating community and ecumenical partnerships, offering compassionate presence and care, and curating meaningful worship experiences. Her personal interests include choral singing, writing, reading, and wandering about the Midwest.

Talk to Marilyn about:

• Candidacy Process
• First Call Theological Education
• Interim 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 focused on mobility, relational networking, care of congregations, council trainings, and youth and family ministries. In 2026, Marie’s role shifted to Associate to the Bishop for Administration and Engagement. 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:

• Synod Administration
• Financial Items
• Events
• Ministry Team Support

Ben Weger
Associate to the Bishop for Communications

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

Rev. Ben Weger serves as the Pastor of Stoughton United Methodist Church in Stoughton, WI. Graduating with his Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Ben studied theology with a focus on social justice and leadership and organizational development.
Ben has worked in a variety of roles professionally including local church communications, communications and development work for a Habitat for Humanity affiliate, and as the director of marketing for the fastest growing tech company in North America in 2018. From crisis communication and public relations to strategic planning and creative design, Ben brings over two decades of communications expertise.

Talk to Ben about:

Website
Social Media
Email Communications

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.