The Rev. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni
Bishop, Rocky Mountain Synod, ELCA
The Rev. Dr. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni was elected to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod on April 27, 2024. She is the first woman to serve as bishop in the Rocky Mountain Synod.
A lifelong Lutheran, Bishop Meghan has roots in the Rocky Mountain Synod: she was baptized at Zion Lutheran Church in Salt Lake City (UT) and later attended St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Cheyenne (WY) before moving to northern California. Her faith was formed in local congregations, Lutheran outdoor ministries (including Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp), and youth ministries in the Rocky Mountain and Sierra Pacific synods.
Bishop Meghan studied Religion and English at California Lutheran University, received her Masters of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, and earned a Ph.D. in Religion, Media, and Culture from Iliff School of Theology and the University of Denver. Ordained in 2007, Bishop Meghan completed her seminary internship at Ashburn Lutheran Church and School on Chicago’s south side, served as associate pastor at Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Elk Grove Village, IL, and served as co-pastor with her spouse, the Rev. Gabi Aelabouni, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Collins, CO. Bishop Meghan and Pastor Gabi, together with their three children, also lived and served for five years in Jerusalem as ELCA global mission pastors with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Bishop Meghan believes deeply in the church’s calling from God to be present as the body of Christ for our neighbors in this and every time, grounded in the sure and certain love of God for us in Jesus Christ. Her preaching, teaching, and pastoral ministry focus on connecting the Gospel and our scriptures to the here and now of the world in which we live, move, and have our being. Bishop Meghan has authored several in-depth Bible studies for Gather magazine on the topics of theodicy, repentance, holy time, holy places, and faith “after certainty." As a founding team member for the ELCA initiative, Sumud: for justice in person Palestine and Israel, Bishop Meghan has frequently presented online and in about justice issues in the Holy Land and the vital ministry of the indigenous Palestinian Christian community.
Some of Bishop Meghan’s favorite pastimes include travel (discovering new places through walking, meeting new people, and eating!) and the arts—music, theatre, film, and television. She speaks some Spanish, German, and Arabic with questionable skill but great enthusiasm. She also collects puns, loves card games, and treasures time spent with family and friends old and new. Bishop Meghan is humbled and elated to be entrusted with the office of bishop as pastor to the body of Christ in a synod filled with faithful people, life–giving ministries, and spectacular landscapes.
Follow Bishop Meghan's blog, where reflections on life, justice, and faith in Christ meet real-world challenges. Grounded in the Gospel, her writing invites readers to journey deeper into what it means to follow Christ — exploring Scripture, compassion, and the church’s call to be Christ’s hands and feet in today’s world. Whether you’re rooted in faith or exploring questions, her blog offers thoughtful encouragement, honest challenge, and spiritual nourishment for all who seek to live in Christ’s love.
