When Larry Kochendorfer was just four years old, he told his mother he wanted to be a pastor. At least, that’s what she told him, though now, several years later, he doesn’t remember: “I do trust her, so I’m sure it’s correct,” he said with a laugh, chatting at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s downtown Winnipeg office on a crisp fall morning.
In time, that first flicker in the mind of a boy growing up in rural Alberta would become a light that led Kochendorfer on a journey through faith and community. It’s a path that saw him pursue seminary; serve four congregations; help build the church as synod bishop of Alberta and the Territories; and travel the globe to witness God’s work with the Lutheran World Federation.
Now, Kochendorfer will lean on all of that experience as he steps into his new role as the ELCIC’s fifth National Bishop. Learn more about our new National Bishop through this one-on-one interview by Melissa Martin for the December 2025 issue of Canada Lutheran.
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