Indiana District (LCMS)

The Indiana District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), encompassing the state of Indiana and most of western Kentucky; the remainder of Kentucky is divided between the Mid-South District and the Ohio District. However, one Kentucky congregation and ten Indiana congregations are in the non-geographic English District, and two congregations in Lake County are in the SELC District. The Indiana District is home to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and includes approximately 236 congregations and missions, subdivided into 24 circuits, as well as 53 preschools, 49 elementary schools and 3 high schools. Baptized membership in district congregations is approximately 102,000.^[1]

The Indiana District was formed in 1963 when the Central District was divided, also creating the Ohio District. District offices are located in Fort Wayne. 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 Rev. Daniel P. May has been the district president since 2003, and was re-elected to a fifth term in 2015. The 21st Regular Convention was held June 25–26, 2015 in Fort Wayne.

Presidents

• Rev. Edgar C. Rakow, 1963–70
• Rev. Elwood H. Zimmermann, 1970–88
• Rev. Reuben Garber, 1988–91
• Rev. Timothy E. Sims, 1991–2003
• Rev. Daniel P. May, 2003–present

Oldest congregations

Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, the oldest church in the Indiana District.

• 1837 - Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 1838 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Seymour, Indiana
• 1838 - Zion Friedheim Lutheran Church, Decatur, Indiana
• 1840 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Indiana
• 1841 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Evansville, Indiana
• 1842 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Evanston, Indiana
• 1842 - Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, Indiana
• 1843 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Farmers Retreat, Indiana
• 1844 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Avilla, Indiana
• 1845 - Emmanuel Lutheran Church (Soest), Marion Township, Allen County, Indiana
• 1845 - Saint John Lutheran Church (Bingen), Decatur, Indiana
• 1845 - Saint Peter Lutheran Church (Fuelling), Decatur, Indiana
• 1846 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Lanesville, Indiana
• 1846 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Bremen, Indiana
• 1846 - Zion Lutheran Church, Corunna, Indiana
• 1847 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Columbia City, Indiana
• 1847 - Saint John Lutheran Church (Flatrock), Monroeville, Indiana
• 1847 - Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Mishawaka, Indiana
• 1847 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Darmstadt, Indiana
• 1848 - Saint James Lutheran Church, Logansport, Indiana
• 1848 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Columbus, Indiana
• 1849 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Decatur, Indiana
• 1849 - Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Huntington, Indiana

Oldest in Kentucky: Concordia Lutheran Church, Louisville, Kentucky, 1878

Largest congregations

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Valparaiso, Indiana

Membership totals include all baptized members and are according to the LCMS website (lcms.org).

• 3840- Saint Peter's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Indiana
• 3524- Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seymour, Indiana
• 3157- Saint James Lutheran Church, Lafayette, Indiana
• 3129- Carmel Lutheran Church, Carmel, Indiana
• 2503- Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 2244- Concordia Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 2123- Emmanuel Lutheran Church, West Central Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 1976- Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Maplewood Park, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 1718- Saint Michael Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne Indiana
• 1703- Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Munster, Indiana
• 1676- Emanuel Lutheran Church, New Haven, Indiana
• 1614- Saint John Lutheran Church, Indianapolis, Indiana
• 1585- Immanuel Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Indiana
• 1440- Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Geist, Indianapolis, Indiana
• 1259- Saint John Lutheran Church, Kendallville, Indiana
• 1202- Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana

• Largest in Kentucky - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Louisville, Kentucky - 636

References

Further reading

• Burger, Mildred L., A Short History of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod in Fort Wayne, Indiana (Fort Wayne: Fort Wayne Public Library, 1967)

External links

• Indiana District web site
• LCMS Congregation Directory
• Indiana District Photographs