Former LCANZ secretary elected as next assistant bishop

The General Synod of the LCANZ has elected Pastor Neville Otto, senior pastor at St Paul Box Hill in suburban Melbourne and former Secretary of the Church, as assistant bishop of the LCANZ.

Elected during the online sessions of the LCANZ’s historic two-part convention on 2 October, he succeeds Rev Dr Andrew Pfeiffer, who has served as assistant bishop since 2015 and who did not stand for re-election.

Before serving at Box Hill since 2019, Assistant Bishop-elect Neville was the LCA Secretary of the Church from 2009 to 2018, also filling the role of LCA Mission Director from 2009 to 2014. He served in the role now known as district bishop (then president) for New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory from 2005 to 2009, and in parish ministry in Alice Springs and Sydney after being ordained in 1995.

He and Rev Dr Stephen Pietsch, Lecturer in Pastoral Theology and Director of Formation at Australian Lutheran College, were the two candidates nominated for the role by the LCA’s General Pastors Conference in July.

Assistant Bishop-elect Neville, who will continue his ministry at Box Hill, takes on the new role from the end of part one of the Convention of General Synod on 2 October. General Synod is scheduled to reconvene for in-person sessions in September-October 2022.