Northern Illinois District (LCMS)
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.
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 was re-elected to a third term in 2012. The 56th Regular Convention was held May 8-9, 2009 in Lombard, IL under the theme New Starts ... New Believers" 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).
Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois, part of the LCMS' Concordia University System, is located within the district.
Presidents
- 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
Oldest congregations
- 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
Largest congregations
- 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
- 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