The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LC-MS) is organized into 35 districts , 33 of which are defined along geographic lines and two are recognized and continued as mon-geographical, the English and the SELC districts (the results of long ago mergers). Each district has a president who oversees the congregations in his district, which are further subdivided into local circuits . The position of synod president is analogous to the role of bishop in many other church bodies / denominations (including those of other Evangelical Lutheran churches in North America and throughout the world). But the LC-MS supports a synodical polity (political / governing organization), which combines the commonly used church body systems of congregationalist polity and episcopal polity , as opposed to an exclusively episcopal polity / ierarchical governance (such as used in the Roman Catholic Church , Eastern Orthodoxy , Anglicanism / Anglican Communion and even many other Evangelical Lutheran churches, and some other Protestant churches in North America and throughout the world).
8-687: The Kansas District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS). The district includes approximately 160 Kansas congregations and missions, subdivided into 16 circuits , as well as 44 preschools and 14 elementary schools . Baptized membership in district congregations is approximately 55,800. The Kansas District was formed in 1888 out of the Western District and at various times included territory in Colorado , Oklahoma , and New Mexico ; portions of
16-579: A "call" directly to the pastor. From the time of its founding in 1847, for eight years until 1854, the LC-MS held annual synod-wide conventions. However, given the rapid growth in number of confessional Evangelical Lutheran congregations and the large geographic area then covered by the synod in its first decade in the United States , from the States of Iowa in the west, to western New York state in
24-528: A board of directors, and other officers. In August 2019, the Rev. Justin A. Panzer became district president, succeeding the Rev. Peter K. Lange, who was elected first vice-president of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod at the 2019 LCMS national convention. Districts of the Lutheran Church %E2%80%93 Missouri Synod Each Missouri Synod district chooses its own president from among the pastors in
32-577: A smaller regional geography grouping. It would also take over some of the responsibilities of the general Synod, and enable for more ministry, service and outreach to be made. These original four districts were further divided over the years and decades in the 170 years since of having lower districts in Missouri Synod history, to create the growth resulting in the current 33 geographical and 2 mon-geographical districts now functioning along with their individual congregations and various ministries in
40-469: Is to place graduates from the two LC-MS theological seminaries as pastors in congregations that have requested such a candidate. If a congregation desires an experienced pastor to fill a vacancy, the district president may suggest a list of possible candidates (gleaned from interactions with the COP as well as other sources), but the district president does not assign pastors in this case; the congregation extends
48-473: The district at its triennial convention. In some districts the district president occupies a full-time position, while in others he continues to serve as pastor in a local congregation or specialized ministry (hospitals, military chaplains, colleges / universities, social services agencies, etc.) The 35 district presidents plus the synod general president form the Council of Presidents (COP), one of whose duties
56-839: The district were separated into the Colorado District (later renamed the Rocky Mountain District) and the Oklahoma District in 1921 and 1924 respectively, and the New Mexico areas were later transferred to the Colorado District in 1941-1942. The Kansas District office is located in Topeka, Kansas . Delegates from each congregation meet in convention every three years to elect the district president, four vice presidents, circuit visitors,
64-735: The northeast, and from Minnesota in the northwest to Louisiana in the south). From that enlarged range in the 1850s , since expanded coast-to-coast in the 19th century , and in the following 20th century , throughout the twin continents of the Americas , and later even overseas. So a new Synod constitution was also adopted in the latter year of 1854, splitting the Synod into four geographical districts (Eastern, Western, Northern, and Central), each with its own annual convention, and elected clergy / laity officers. This would provide for increasing cooperation between congregations and ministers / pastors of
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