Lutheran bishop to retire.

Raymond L. Schultz, national bishop of the Evangehcal Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), has announced that he will retire as of Sept. 1, 2007 following the election of a successor at the church's National Convention in June.

Bishop Schultz cited personal health and family as reasons for retiring before completing his second four-year term.

Bishop Schultz was elected to his first term as national bishop at the 2001 National Convention in Waterloo, Ont. At the 2005 National Convention, delegates re-elected him to a second term.

Bishop Schultz advised ELCIC's National Church Council (NCC) on Jan. 1 of his decision and asked that it start a process for having an election for his successor at the National Convention in Winnipeg this June 21-24.

Prior to his election as National Bishop in 2001, Bishop Schultz was bishop of the British Columbia Synod from 1998 to 2001.