Herbert W. Chilstrom, 88, the first presiding bishop of the ELCA, died Jan. 19 at his home in Green Valley, Ariz. He was born in Litchfield, Minn., on Oct. 18, 1931.
In 1976 Chilstrom was elected bishop of the Minnesota Synod of the Lutheran Church in America. At the 1987 merger that created the 5.2-million-member ELCA, he was elected the first presiding bishop.
