The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America makes history by installing first openly transgender bishop

• The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has installed its first openly transgender bishop.
• Bishop Megan Rohrer will serve a six-year term in northern California and northern Nevada.
• Rohrer, who uses the pronoun "they," is married and has two children.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America installed its first openly transgender bishop in a ceremony at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco on Saturday.

Bishop Megan Rohrer will serve a six-year term in northern California and northern Nevada, overseeing nearly 200 congregations.

Rohrer, who uses the pronoun "they," is the first openly transgender person elected to that post in any mainline Christian denomination.

In a statement to Insider, Rohrer said "I am humbled by the outpouring of love and support I have received" from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and "our ecumenical partners."

"The installation was a celebration of the diverse Lutherans in California and Nevada," they said, adding that as bishop they "hope to continue to work for racial, economic and climate justice locally and globally."

Rohrer told Insider in June, shortly after they were elected, that they hope their story challenges notions about some Christian communities, serves as a positive model for transgender youth, and helps people "expand their creativity about what trans people are like."

"I'm just excited for more trans and nonbinary folk to know that there's a full diversity of ways that you can express yourself, that you can have a family, and maybe even have faith," they said.

Rohrer previously served as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco. They were elected as bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod in May after its current bishop announced his retirement.

Rohrer grew up in a small town in South Dakota, is married, and has two children, ages 7 and 8.

The bishop's goals will focus on tackling issues such as homelessness, racial inequality, and food insecurity.

The church has about 3.3 million members and is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States.