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On a bright, mild January day in the Old City of Jerusalem, with the sounds of Christmas carols leading the parade, the spirit of joy echoed through the narrow corridors as a festive procession made its way to the Church of the Redeemer. Inside the crowded sanctuary—just a stone’s throw from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—Imad Haddad was consecrated as the fifth bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL).
He succeeds Sani Ibrahim Azar, who retired after serving as bishop since 2018.
“Today, I stand before you, not through any worthiness of my own, but leaning on the grace of God, who has redeemed me, called me, freed me and sent me,” Haddad declared in his first sermon as bishop. “Without God I can do nothing, and without the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, none of our efforts, plans or preparations—whether already written on paper or still being formed—can truly succeed.”
The consecration drew representatives from across the global Lutheran community. Yehiel Curry, ELCA presiding bishop, along with Khader El-Yateem, executive director for the Service and Justice unit, led a delegation of ELCA synod bishops, pastors and laypeople in support of the festivities.
The Lutheran World Federation delegation was led by General Secretary Anne Burghardt. Lutheran representatives from Canada, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway joined ecumenical delegations from the Anglican Communion and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who participated in the processional.
The World Council of Churches conveyed its congratulations through General Secretary Jerry Pillay, who said the consecration “represents a sign of continuity in apostolic witness and of renewed commitment to servant leadership.”
The day brought its share of challenges. Despite securing all the necessary permits from the Israeli government, Haddad’s mother was stopped at the checkpoint from the West Bank into Jerusalem by security forces. This delay highlighted the ongoing frustrations faced by ELCJHL members as they continue to deal with tensions over self-determination in their land.
In the end, the bishop’s mother was permitted to attend the worship celebration, but the experience underscored a major obstacle for the ELCJHL and others.
Later that evening, Haddad reflected on the day, which had been filled with a range of emotions, from humiliation to anger. “But as the procession with music and drums made its way from Jaffa Gate to Redeemer, I heard a chorus, ‘This is the day the Lord has made.’ The procession was a sign of resistance,” he said.
Rooted in the community
Haddad brings a lifetime of pastoral experience rooted in the Palestinian Christian community. Born and raised in Beit Jala, Palestine, he studied at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut and at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, then in Columbia, S.C. He earned his Doctor of Ministry from United Lutheran Seminary in 2025.
Ordained in 2008, Haddad served congregations in Beit Sahour, Ramallah and most recently Amman, Jordan. He also served as chief justice of the ELCJHL Ecclesiastical Court and was elected president of the synod in 2022. He and his wife, Rula, have two daughters.
“The Lord calls us again and says: ‘I have chosen you and called you, to send you with a message of salvation, peace and reconciliation for the world.’ The church, united with Christ through baptism, must hear these words again and live by them.”
In his sermon, Haddad did not shy away from addressing the pain that surrounds his new episcopacy. “We cannot turn a blind eye to the injustices that plague our land,” he said, “nor can we forget the pain and sorrow carried in the hearts of all who have suffered and still suffer as a result of human cruelty, hatred and rejection of one another.”
Yet he framed this suffering within a call to faithful witness: “The Lord calls us again and says: ‘I have chosen you and called you, to send you with a message of salvation, peace and reconciliation for the world.’ The church, united with Christ through baptism, must hear these words again and live by them.”
These themes echoed remarks Haddad made at the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Phoenix, where he preached just days before Curry’s election. There he spoke of sumud—the Arabic word for steadfast endurance. “Our [ELCJHL] church is small, and as Christians, we are a small minority in Palestine and Israel—but we have a mighty mission,” he told the assembly. “Sumud means we are abiding.”
He shared sobering statistics: more than 200 Christian families have left the West Bank since 2023, a significant loss in a community representing just 1% of the Palestinian population.
The ELCJHL, an LWF member since 1974, serves approximately 2,500 members across six congregations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour, Ramallah and Amman. The church operates four schools serving over 3,000 students of many different faiths.
