About

Bishop Tessa Moon Leiseth was elected August 16, 2020 to serve a 6-year term as Bishop of the Eastern North Dakota Synod of the ELCA, beginning November 1, 2020. Before becoming Bishop, she served as interim senior pastor of Horace Lutheran Church in Horace, N.D. She has also served as interim pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Moorhead, MN; Southern Africa country coordinator for ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission; campus pastor at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN; associate pastor of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in East Bethel, MN; youth and family pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Mounds View, MN; and intern pastor of Baudette Lutheran Parish in Baudette, MN. 

Bishop Moon Leiseth received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN) in 1992 and a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN) in 1998. 

Bishop Moon Leiseth is married to Jon Leiseth, an ELCA deacon. Both of their young adult children spend most of their time away from the family home. Family dog, Thula, keeps Bishop Tessa and Jon company as they adjust to an empty nest. When she is not deep in her work, Bishop Moon Leiseth loves to read, especially fiction, and to listen to podcasts about books. Whenever possible, she likes to take new roads and travel to new places.