Northern Illinois District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
The Northern Illinois District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, 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 in the Chicago area are in the non-geographic English District, and five congregations in northern Illinois 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. After the Rev. Dan Gilbert reached his term limits in 2018, Rev. Dr. Allan R. Buss was elected as the district president.
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, 2006–2018
- Rev. Dr. Allan R. Buss, 2018–present
