SELC District (LCMS)

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The SELC District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS). It is one of the Synod's two non-geographical districts, along with the English District, and has its origins in the congregations of the former Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church, which merged with the LCMS in 1971. The SELC had been formed in 1902 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and changed its name to the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in 1959 due to decreasing identification with the Slovak language and culture.

The district now includes approximately 53 congregations and missions (the fewest of any LCMS district), subdivided into 4 circuits, as well as 19 preschools and 3 elementary schools. Spread over 11 U.S. states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, the great majority of congregations are in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions. Baptized membership in district congregations is over 17,000.

SELC District offices are located in Cudahy, Wisconsin; the Rev. Carl Krueger, Jr. has been the district president since 1997, and was reelected to a fourth term in 2006 [1]. Delegates from each congregation meet in convention every three years to elect the district president, vice presidents, circuit counselors, a board of directors, and other officers; the last convention was held on June 22-25, 2006, and the next will be held in 2009.

Contents

[edit] Presidents

  • Rev. Albert M. Marcis, ?
  • Rev. Carl H. Krueger, Jr., 1997-present

[edit] Oldest congregations

Oldest in Indiana: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Whiting, Indiana, 1904
Only congregation in Missouri: Saint Lucas Lutheran Church, Boulevard Heights, St. Louis, Missouri, 1905
Oldest in Wisconsin: Saint John Lutheran Church, Cudahy, Wisconsin, 1906
Oldest in Virginia: Saint John the Baptist Lutheran Church, Emporia, Virginia, 1909
Oldest in Florida: Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Oviedo, Florida, 1912
Only congregation in Quebec: Ascension Lutheran Church, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Montreal, 1929
Oldest in Ontario: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Corso Italia, Toronto, 1942

[edit] Largest congregations

Membership totals are c. 2006.

Largest in Pennsylvania: Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 395
Largest in Indiana: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Whiting, Indiana, 268
Largest in Connecticut: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Greenwich, Connecticut, 201
Largest in Ontario: Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, Chatham, Ontario, 180
Largest in Virginia: Saint John the Baptist Lutheran Church, Emporia, Virginia, 148
Only congregation in Quebec: Ascension Lutheran Church, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, Montreal, 140
Only congregation in New York: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Yonkers, New York, 114

[edit] Congregations and missions

Congregations established prior to 1930, or having 600 or more members, are noted (membership figures are c. 2006); in the absence of one or both of these within a circuit, the oldest and/or largest congregation is noted.

Circuit 1 (Eastern)

Circuit 2 (Central)

Circuit 3 (Western)

Circuit 4 (Southern)

[edit] External links

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Districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod