Munib Younan, Palestinian Lutheran bishop, passes torch to Sani Ibrahim Azar
Before his consecration as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, Azar was a pastor in Jerusalem's Old City for three decades.
Sani Ibrahim Azar was consecrated bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land on January 12. Munib Younan, now bishop emeritus, had been in the role since 1998.
The bishop’s duties include governing six Palestinian Lutheran churches and four schools and administering a pilgrimage center at the baptismal site on the Jordan River. Addressing international partner churches the day after his installation, Azar said his priorities would include spiritual care for members, financial sustainability, gender justice efforts, and service to the community.
“Our pastors and laypeople will go where the people are, we will not sit by idly in our churches waiting for the people to come to us,” he said.
