About Us

English District History

The English District is one of thirty-five districts of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. At one time the English District was an independent Lutheran Synod in North America, organized in 1888 as the "English Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri." Its history goes back to colonial times.

In the early days of Lutheranism in the United States, the Henkels, a prominent Lutheran family, provided pastoral leadership for the church in Virginia. The family was concerned about Lutheran confessional teaching. In 1851, the Henkel family published the first English edition of the Book of Concord, the Lutheran Confessions. Members of the family were responsible for establishing several synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. One of those synods, the Tennessee Synod was organized in 1820 by Pastor Paul Henkel. The Tennessee Synod believed firmly in the authority of God's Word. It insisted on strong catechetical training within the congregations.
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Christian faith expressed in courageous action – Joshua 1:9

A.D. 2012 – 2015

Core Values adopted by the Board of Directors

♦ Living in faithful response to God’s grace
♦ Teaching the Christian faith
♦ Reaching diverse peoples with the Gospel
♦ Seizing diverse mission opportunities without geographic limits
♦ United in faith, witness, and service

End Statements as adopted by the Board of Directors

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the English District will

  • Promote and provide excellent educational opportunities to people of all ages reaching them with the Gospel as expressed in Lutheran doctrine;
  • Create and foster connections and relationships between English District congregations and ministries beyond geographic or regional limitations;
  • Nurture, support and encourage the health and well-being of professional church workers;
  • Model Christian stewardship through an example of fiscal discipline while providing ministry services;
  • Strengthen and support English District congregations, schools and other ministries by providing expertise, resources and proactive assistance;
  • Strengthen new and existing ministries to reach the lost for Christ; and,
  • Provide international leadership across cultures in support of diverse geographic and ethnic ministries.

English District Vision

The Vision for the English District from Bishop David Stechholz

IGNITING CHRIST’S CHURCH IN MISSION

(I Peter 1, Matthew 9:35-38 & 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Luke 15 & 19:10)

By the grace of Almighty God and the power of the Holy Spirit working through God’s Word, the English District seeks to grow in grace and outreach, to be a catalyst and servant for the LCMS for missional work -- urban, school, intercultural/ethnic, new mission starts, revitalization, campus ministry, & mercy ministries, to help our congregational members develop a global vision of and passion for leading the “lost” to faith in and hope through Jesus Christ, and to be ablaze with getting the Gospel out to people.

Congregations and schools of the English District, in worshiping the Lord God are

  • SERVING in their communities
  • CONNECTING with the unchurched and dechurched
  • GROWING in faith and numbers
  • REPRODUCING by planting new churches