02/24/2026
Dr. Addie Butler (1946- ) has held several key roles in the history of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. At the Churchwide Assembly in 1997 she was elected vice president of the denomination, becoming the first African American woman to hold the post. She held the position for six years. She has also served as vice president of our Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod and was part of the synod’s Candidacy Committee. Dr. Butler received her doctorate from Columbia University, was an administrator at the Community College of Philadelphia, and she has chaired the Board of Trustees of The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). Dr. Butler also served as President of the Philadelphia Chapter of the African Descent Lutheran Association. She once said she remained a part of the Lutheran Church “because it teaches we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. I resonated with that.”
