[1] I am Rev. Dr. Laurie Jungling, and I was born and raised in Great Falls, MT. I have been a Lutheran all my life, though I came close once to becoming a Presbyterian (USA). After spending a few years as a full-service gas station attendant in far-north North Dakota searching for myself, I found God instead. I attended Luther Seminary in St Paul, MN where I received my Master of Divinity degree and later a Master of Theology degree. I served as a pastor of a 3-point parish in Harding County, South Dakota where there are more sheep and snakes than there are people. After three years of driving 106 miles every Sunday, the Spirit called me to return to graduate school to seek a doctorate in “Ethics, Social Theory and Lutheran Theology” at the Graduate Theological Union where I studied with Dr. Martha Ellen Stortz.
[2] Upon completing my Ph.D., I went back to Montana for a short time, serving as the interim director of the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology. Then I taught ethics and religion at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD from 2008-2014. When that position was cut, I returned to Montana to serve as an intentional interim pastor, guiding four churches in the Montana synod through their transition processes.
[3] In 2019, the Spirit decided to take me on an unexpected, wild ride when I was elected to be the bishop of the Montana Synod. During my time as bishop, I served the synod and the wider church in multiple ways, including as the chair of the Theological and Ethical Concerns committee on the Conference of Bishops as well as a member of several consulting groups on issues such as Quality of Call for Women, Boundaries Training, and on-line Holy Communion.
[4] The Holy Spirit called me to serve Christ’s church in new ways in 2025. I currently live in Great Falls, MT and as of March 2, 2026, I am serving as Program Director for Theological Discernment in the Office of the Presiding Bishop. Because I was a member of the ELCA’s Task Force for the development of the most recent social statement, Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All, I have been asked to give presentations on that topic in various synods.
[5] I have many theo-ethical interests, including the many emerging questions regarding A.I., faith and ethics, Lutheran vocation and ethics, and teaching Lutheran Ethics 1.0 to lay folks who want to learn how to do ethics in practical ways while also participating in bridge-building moral deliberation experiences regarding tough issues in the church and the world. My view of Lutheran ethics centers on living out our Spirit-driven faith in the transforming power of God’s grace to follow Christ’s call to seek, be, and do God’s love for all.
[6] I enjoy hiking in the mountains of Montana around my home (especially in Glacier National Park and the Rocky Mountain Front), reading anything that helps me better understand the senselessness happening in the world, and watching the Minnesota Twins and Vikings lose every year — though maybe this is the year! Now that I am working from home, I spend far too much time negotiating with my cat, Luke, about how much attention he should get each day.
[7] As I begin this new role as Program Director for Theological Ethics, I look forward to working with you and the wider church as together we discern how we may best follow God’s call to serve the well-being of all. May God bless and keep you in your faith, hope and love!