Information from the Synod Assembly held on June 7-9

Saturday at the Indiana/Kentucky Synod Assembly after electing a new Bishop, Pr. Tim Graham

Jean Johnson, Bruce Johnson and Pastor Kvande


Meet Our Bishop-elect of the Indiana/Kentucky Synod :

Rev. Tim Graham

After graduating from Wartburg Theological Seminary in 2007, I received a dual call. The first and primary call was as a redevelopment pastor to Grace Lutheran Church/Light of the Cross (LOTC) in Fort Wayne -- the same church my father was called to in 1976 – and the second call was to Messiah Lutheran Church as an Associate Pastor.

We built some meaningful community at LOTC. However, sadly, we celebrated the holy closure of LOTC at the end of 2009.

In March 2010, Messiah called me to serve full-time as the Youth and Family Pastor. In 2014, I was called as the Interim Senior Pastor, and then in May 2015, I was unanimously called to Messiah as the Senior Pastor.

Some highlights from 17 years at Messiah include:

-An amazing staff and church leadership that fully supported me

several international, domestic, and local mission trips with our youth and one international trip with a couples’ group.

-The restructuring of our governance to an “Accountability Model.”

-Transitioned preschool to childcare with infant care.

-A $2.3 million Capital and Building Renovation campaign without any debt.

-A new culture focusing on hospitality to the stranger where “Everyone means anyone, and anyone means everyone.”

I was adopted in Iowa as an infant, and named Timothy Mark Graham by my father and mother, the late Rev. Vernon Graham and Ellen Graham, while they were at Wartburg Theological Seminary. I have three sisters, Dawn (Tom) Starks, Kristina Alderdice (deceased, 2016), and Melissa (Stacy) Curry and several nieces and nephews.

My wife Meme (Michelle) and I met in high school and were married in January 1992. We have four adult children – Sashelle Rose and fiancé Alex Knight, Timothy Graham Jr., Larraine Graham and husband (Cody) Williamson, and Robert Graham – and they all reside in Fort Wayne. We also have seven grandchildren – Jaylen, Maleyah, Michelle, Noelle, Elias, Graham, and Greyson.

Meme and I love traveling, especially to beaches! Our favorite place is the Dominican Republic, and Hilton Head Island is a close second! I also enjoy watching movies (big Marvel fan), smoking BBQ, and reading thriller mystery novels. And I love an array of music. My favorite artists include Luther Vandross, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, and Christopher Cross. 

Rev. Tim Graham

Bishop-elect, IN-KY Synod