Lutheran Student Fellowship
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Lutheran Student Fellowship (LSF) is the campus ministry organization of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
[edit] History
Lutheran Student Fellowship as it is known today was formed by a Synodical Resolution at the 1987 Synodical Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. In order to serve as a "vehicle for the promotion campus ministry particularly in the more than 600 town-gown and contact campus congregations where a “full-time” campus pastor is not presently available."
Ministry to college students, however, had long been something that the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) had been concerned about. Starting in 1928 an LCMS student organization named "Gamma Delta" was formed as a “ Student District of the Walther League” The purpose of the organization was to serve college and university students as an extension of the Walther League, the youth organization of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod at that time.
In 1968, anticipating the union of several Lutheran church bodies in the United States and the uniting of Lutheran campus ministries, the national officers of Gamma Delta voted to disband their organization in favor of a new pan-Lutheran organization. This new organization would serve all Lutheran students from the former Gamma Delta, and the jointly supported student organization of the American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Student Association of America. When both Gamma Delta and LSAA were both disbanded and a new organization was formed in 1969 called, “The Lutheran Student Movement.”
The creation of Lutheran Student Movement, however was not supported by everyone in LCMS campus ministries. Since the 1970’s efforts were made to establish another distinct student organization for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. During the 1985 more than 30 LCMS campus ministries and four District Conventions called for the Synod to establish a new student organization. The Synod Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana (1987), responded by creating Lutheran Student Fellowship.
[edit] Organization
Lutheran Student Fellowship is organized into 12 Regions to help facilitate activity planning and growth. Regions normally conduct own retreats, gatherings and events. Each region has a regional representative to the national body. Regional representatives elect national officers.
Regions of LSF and the States they serve
Region 1 - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska
Region 2 - California, Nevada, Arizona, and Hawaii
Region 3 - Colorado, Wyoming, Western Nebraska, Utah, and New Mexico
Region 4 - North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota
Region 5 - Central and Eastern Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma
Region 6 - Texas Region 7 - Wisconsin, Iowa, and Northern Illinois
Region 8 - Missouri and Southern Illinois
Region 9 - Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia
Region 10 - Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida Panhandle and Louisiana
Region 11 - Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusettes, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
Region 12 - Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and most of Florida
