Bishop Constanze Hagmaier

The Reverend Constanze Hagmaier was elected to the Office of Bishop on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at the South Dakota Synod Assembly.

Bishop Constanze Hagmaier is married to The Rev. Dirk Hagmaier and they have two biological children: Paul, 20; Emma, 4; and one foster son, Lymann, 21. Bishop Hagmaier had most recently been serving as the administrative pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison, SD with her husband, Rev. Dirk Hagmaier. Her prior ministry experiences in South Dakota include:

• Co-pastor – Waubay Lutheran Parish, Waubay, SD

• Interim Co-pastor – Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Aberdeen, SD

• Co-pastor – Florence Lutheran Parish, Florence, SD

• Pastor – Salem Lutheran Church, Parkston, SD

Bishop Hagmaier had her first taste of life in South Dakota in 1987. As a Rotary exchange student, she lived in Sioux Falls, attended Brandon Valley High School and worshiped at Brandon Lutheran. Upon her return to Germany she continued her education at the Ruprecht Karl’s University in Heidelberg, Germany, where she graduated with her Master of Divinity degree in 1999. Upon the family’s immigration to the United States in September 1999, both the Rev. Dirk and Bishop Hagmaier affiliated with Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, MN. The couple was ordained while serving the Waubay Lutheran Parish at NeSoDak Bible Camp on February 10, 2001.

Bishop Hagmaier succeeded Bishop David B. Zellmer as the fourth Bishop of the South Dakota Synod on September 1, 2019.