The Rev. Dr. Ruth Hamilton

Denomination: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Organization: St. Luke Lutheran Church, Atlanta, GA

The Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Hamilton is pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Atlanta, where she has been serving since October 2012.  Prior to that time, she was director for archives administration (1999-2002) and assistant to the Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (2003-2012) at the denominational headquarters in Chicago.  She has served at St. John's Lutheran Church, Lincolnwood, Illinois; First Lutheran Church, Moline, Illinois; and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Luke, Chicago.

Pastor Hamilton holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University, and the M.Div. degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.  She was ordained in 2005.  Prior to entering seminary, she was a professor of English language and literature, specializing in the Middle Ages.  She has taught at Northwestern University, Northern Illinois University (1980-81, 82-87), and Wartburg College (1987-88).  She also was on the staff of the Newberry Library, an independent research library in the humanities in Chicago (1988-1999).

Pastor Hamilton is the mother of two grown sons, Geoff and Greg, and grandmother to Teddy.