*Photo: Ben Gray

Dear Friends of the LDA:

The Lutheran Diaconal Association is pleased to announce that Deaconess Adrainne Jean Gray has been called as the next Executive Director of the LDA.

Adrainne currently is the LDA’s Director of Discernment, a position she has held since 2022. She will serve as Executive Director Designate beginning October 28, 2024, allowing for overlap with Executive Director Deaconess Lisa Polito, who has led the LDA since 2008. Lisa’s last day will be December 31, 2024.

Adrainne is well-suited to shepherd the diaconate in its mission to form, send, and nurture communities of deaconesses and deacons to serve God’s people, and to chart a course that builds on the LDA’s 105-year history. She brings gifts of strategic visioning, knowledge of the global Lutheran church, and experience with diverse cultures worldwide to lead the LDA confidently and successfully into the future.

Consecrated an LDA deaconess on September 17, 2017, Adrainne also is an ordained deacon in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Her ministry is rooted in a deep commitment to social justice, racial reconciliation, and community empowerment. She brings a diverse background of experience, from communications to global advocacy, to her work as a servant leader.

Adrainne holds a Master’s degree in Practical Theology from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, and a Journalism degree from the University of Florida – Gainesville.

Her career includes extensive communications work with the Lutheran World Federation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. In these roles, she helped amplify the voices of marginalized communities, advocating for peace, justice, and global unity throughout the Lutheran Church diaspora.

We are grateful for Lisa Polito’s longtime leadership, service, and commitment to the LDA, and we ask God’s continued blessings as she explores new ministry opportunities.

Now, we stand at a new place in history, as we have many times since the LDA’s founding in 1919. We give thanks to God for you – our friends and partners in ministry – and we look forward to continued collaboration in the future. And, we thank God for entrusting us with this holy and precious ministry of the LDA that trains women and men for lives of Christian service as deaconesses and deacons.

With joy and thanksgiving,

Deaconess Jean Warren

President, LDA Board of Directors