Ohio District (LCMS)
The Ohio District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS), and covers the states of Ohio and West Virginia, as well as north eastern Kentucky [1] (the remainder of Kentucky is divided between the Indiana District and the Mid-South District). In addition, sixteen Ohio congregations are in the non-geographic English District [2] , and eleven are in the SELC District. [3] The Ohio District comprises approximately 170 congregations and missions, subdivided into 16 circuits, as well as 46 preschools and 22 elementary schools. Baptized membership in Ohio District congregations is approximately 63,308. [4]
The Ohio District was formed in 1963 when the Central District was divided, also creating the Indiana District. District offices are located in Olmsted Falls, Ohio, just west of Cleveland; the Rev. Terry Cripe became the district president in September 2006 [5]. 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 18-10, 2009, [6] and the next will be held beginning June 14-16, 2012 in Dublin, Ohio [7] with the convention theme "Enriched in Every Way". [8]
Presidents
- Rev. Ottomar Krueger, 1963–66
- Rev. Paul G. Single, 1966–69
- Rev. Edgar M. Luecke, 1969–70
- Rev. Arthur H. Ziegler, 1970–82
- Rev. Paul A. Weber, 1982-88
- Rev. David D. Buegler, 1988-96
- Rev. Ronald L. Bergen, 1996-2006
- Rev. Terry L. Cripe, 2006 to present
Oldest congregations
- 1838 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Marysville, Ohio
- 1839 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Sugar Grove, Ohio
- 1842 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Mount Hope, Ohio
- 1843 - Zion Lutheran Church, Central Cleveland, Ohio
- 1844 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Zanesville, Ohio
- 1846 - Saint James Lutheran Church, Archbold, Ohio
- 1846 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Valley City, Ohio
- 1846 - Zion Lutheran Church, Edgerton, Ohio
- 1846 - Zion Lutheran Church, Willshire, Ohio
- 1847 - Emanuel Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Ohio
- 1847 - Saint James Lutheran Church, Hilliard, Columbus, Ohio
- 1847 - Saint Thomas Lutheran Church, Ohio City, Ohio
- 1848 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Wapakoneta, Ohio
- 1849 - Concordia Lutheran Church, Camp Washington, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1851 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Defiance, Ohio
- 1851 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Elyria, Ohio
- 1851 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio
- 1851 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio (5 S)
- 1851 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Mt. Airy, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 1853 - Saint John Lutheran Church, South Euclid, Ohio
- 1853 - Saint Stephen Lutheran Church, Defiance, Ohio
- 1853 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Ohio City, Cleveland, Ohio
- 1854 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Garfield Heights, Ohio
- 1854 - Zion Lutheran Church, Akron, Ohio
- 1855 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio
- 1858 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church and School, Westlake, Ohio
- 1889 - Christ Lutheran Church, Cleveland, Ohio
Oldest in Kentucky: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Ashland, Kentucky, 1866
Oldest in West Virginia: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Parkersburg, West Virginia, 1887
Largest congregations
- Membership totals are c. 2006.
- 3111 - Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church, North Royalton, Ohio
- 2994 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio
- 2749 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Westlake, Ohio
- 2419 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Defiance, Ohio
- 2372 - Bethany Lutheran Church, Parma, Ohio
- 1475 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Marysville, Ohio
- 1328 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Toledo, Ohio
- 1209 - Zion Lutheran Church, Painesville, Ohio
- 1123 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Zanesville, Ohio
- 1034 - Saint Mark Lutheran Church, Brunswick, Ohio
- 1005 - Saint John Lutheran Church, North Collinwood, Cleveland, Ohio
- 980 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
- 899 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
- 887 - Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Solon, Ohio
- 870 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio
- 798 - Holy Cross Lutheran Church, North Canton, Ohio
- 720 - Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Kettering, Ohio
- 719 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Napoleon, Ohio
- 713 - King of Kings Lutheran Church, Landen, Ohio
- 710 - Messiah Lutheran Church, Greenhills, Ohio
Largest in West Virginia: Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Parkersburg, West Virginia, 320
Largest in Kentucky: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Florence, Kentucky, 317
External links