The Northern Illinois District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), and covers the northern third of the state of Illinois, including the Chicago metropolitan area; the rest of the state is divided between the Central Illinois District and the Southern Illinois District. In addition, 26 congregations in the Chicago area (20 of them in the city itself) are in the non-geographic English District, and five congregations in Northern Illinois (including one in Chicago) are in the SELC District. The Northern Illinois District includes approximately 226 congregations and missions, subdivided into 28 circuits, as well as 54 preschools, 67 elementary schools and 9 high schools. Baptized membership in district congregations is approximately 127,000. [1]
The Northern Illinois District was formed in 1907 when the Illinois District was divided. District offices are located in Hillside, Illinois. Delegates from each congregation meet in convention every three years to elect the district president, four vice presidents, circuit counselors, a board of directors, and other officers. The Rev. Dan Gilbert became the district president in September 2006 [2] was re-elected to a third term in 2012.[3] The 56th Regular Convention was held May 8–9, 2009 in Lombard, IL under the theme New Starts ... New Believers" [4] The 57th regular convention was held March 9–10, 2012 at Concordia University Chicago with the theme "New Starts…New Believers Every Congregation…Right Now (2 Corinthians 6:2b). [5]
Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois, part of the LCMS' Concordia University System, is located within the district.
Rev. Hermann Engelbrecht, Sr., 1907–09
Rev. William Christian Kohn, 1909–13
Rev. Friedrich Heinrich Brunn, 1913–27
Rev. Alex Ullrich, 1927–36
Rev. Ernest Theodore Lams, 1936–45
Rev. Arthur Henry Werfelmann, 1945–60
Rev. Theodore F. Nickel, 1960–62
Rev. Carl L. Abel, 1962–63
Rev. Erwin L. Paul, 1963–66
Rev. Edmund H. Happel, 1966–85
Rev. Theodore L. Laesch, 1985–97
Rev. William H. Ameiss, 1997-2006
Rev. Dan P. Gilbert, 2006–present
1837 - Zion Lutheran Church, Bensenville, Illinois
1846 - First St. Paul Lutheran Church, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois
1847 - St. Peter Lutheran Church, Schaumburg, Illinois
1847 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Glencoe, Illinois
1848 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Mount Prospect, Illinois
1849 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Country Club Hills, Illinois
1850 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mokena, Illinois
1851 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Schaumburg, Illinois
1852 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Richton Park, Illinois
1854 - First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Near West Side, Chicago, Illinois
1854 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, East Dundee, Illinois
1854 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Beecher, Illinois
1854 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Dwight, Illinois
1857 - Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, Aurora, Illinois
1857 - Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Joliet, Illinois
1858 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hillside, Illinois
1858 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Dolton, Illinois
1859 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Darien, Illinois
1859 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Elgin, Illinois
1859 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Niles, Illinois
1859 - Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, Kankakee, Illinois
1859 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Thornton, Illinois
1859 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Illinois
1859 - Zion Lutheran Church, Bonfield, Illinois
Membership totals are c. 2006.
4727 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Roselle, Illinois (2012)
2587 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Belvidere, Illinois (2013)
2387 - Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois (2013)
2321 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, East Dundee, Illinois (2013)
2196 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Lisle, Illinois (2013)
2186 - St. Peter Lutheran Church, Schaumburg, Illinois (2013)
2138 - Christ Lutheran Church, Orland Park, Illinois (2012)
2066 - Bethany Lutheran Church, Naperville, Illinois (2013)
2003 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Palatine, Illinois (2013)
1916 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Lombard, Illinois (2013)
1886 - Zion Lutheran Church, Marengo, Illinois (2011)
1882 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Tinley Park, Illinois (2013)
1726 - Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, Bourbonnais, Illinois (2012)
1758 - Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Hawthorn Woods, Illinois (2013)
1665 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Wheaton, Illinois (2013)
1585 - Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Palatine, Illinois (2013)
1582 - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Elgin, Illinois
1560 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Crystal Lake, Illinois
1531 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Elgin, Illinois
1468 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Batavia, Illinois
1436 - St. John's Lutheran Church, Portage Park, Chicago, Illinois
1434 - St. John's Lutheran Church, Algonquin, Illinois
1427 - Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, Aurora, Illinois
1400 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Chicago Heights, Illinois
1397 - Cross Lutheran Church, Yorkville, Illinois
1391 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Elmhurst, Illinois
1316 - Saint Andrew's Lutheran Church, Park Ridge, Illinois
1276 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Oak Lawn, Illinois
1261 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Mount Prospect, Illinois
1226 - Saint Mark's Lutheran Church, Saint Charles, Illinois
1219 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Joliet, Illinois
1216 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Downers Grove, Illinois
1210 - Saint John Lutheran Church, La Grange, Illinois
1203 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Forest Park, Illinois
1156 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Brookfield, Illinois
1137 - Peace Lutheran Church, Lombard, Illinois
1107 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Rochelle, Illinois
1095 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Rockford, Illinois
1085 - Zion Lutheran Church, Matteson, Illinois
1054 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Burr Ridge, Illinois
1017 - Saint Luke Lutheran Church, Itasca, Illinois
Northern Illinois District (LCMS) Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA