The Rev. Dr. Meggan Manlove

Bishop

Bishop Meggan Manlove grew up in Custer, South Dakota. She graduated from Concordia College, Moorhead, spent a year in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Syracuse, NY and then earned her M.Div. from the Univ. of Chicago Divinity School. She was shaped and nourished by both outdoor ministries (including three summers at Christikon) and campus ministry (ELCA and Episcopal in Chicago). She served a parish in rural Western Iowa for six years and moved to Nampa, Idaho in 2010 to serve as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. She earned her Doctor in Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary in May 2021. Her dissertation is titled Equipping Lutherans for Faith Storytelling.

Bishop Manlove loves working collaboratively and cares deeply about food security and affordable housing. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the region, deepening friendships, reading fiction, and watching good movies. She blogs at www.megganmanlove.com.

The Rev. Phil Misner

Assistant to the Bishop

The first 29+ years of Phil’s life were spent in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. He earned a B.A. in Social Work from the University of St. Thomas in 2003. After working a couples years in the Twin Cities, Phil began seminary studies at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, graduating in 2010 with a M.Div. He served Trinity Lutheran, Endicott, WA and Peace Lutheran, Colfax, WA for eight years. In 2018, Bishop Kristen Kuempel invited Phil to serve as Assistant to the Bishop, and he continues to serve in that role now under Bishop Meggan Manlove. In this role, Phil takes lead on transition work across the Northwest Intermountain Synod, and has a strong interest in collaboration.

Phil and his family (spouse, Jamie, and children – Kaylynn, John, and Anders) live in Post Falls, ID. In his free time, he enjoys staying as active as possible. In the summer, that means running and hiking. In the winter, he and the family spend as much time on snow as possible.

the rev. Liv Larson Andrews

(she/hers)

Director for Evangelical Mission

Liv is a pastor, writer and artist who lives in Spokane, Washington with her spouse and two children. Her work in parish ministry, community building, and worship renewal connects liturgical spirituality with social justice. She loves sharing meals with others and remembering her baptism by being near the Spokane river. 

Cathy Steiner

Executive Assistant

Cathy has served in the Synod office as the Administrative Assistant to the Bishop since 1999. 

She is married to Mark Steiner and has two grown sons, Mitchell and Michael and two grandsons.