Mid-South District (LCMS)
Encyclopedia
The Mid-South District is one of the 35 districts
of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LCMS), and encompasses the states of Arkansas
and Tennessee
, as well as the southwestern edge of Kentucky
; the rest of Kentucky is divided between the Indiana District
and the Ohio District
. The Mid-South District includes approximately 130 congregations and mission stations, subdivided into 12 circuits
, as well as 34 preschools, 15 elementary schools
and 2 high schools. Baptized
membership in district congregations is over 30,000.
The Mid-South District was formed in 1966 when the Western District was divided, also creating the Missouri District
. District offices are located in Cordova, Tennessee; the Rev. Kenneth Lampe has been the district president since 2003, and was reelected in 2006 http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=10093. 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 last convention was held in 2009, and the next will be held June 22-24, 2012 in Memphis, TN.
Districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is organized into 35 districts, 33 of which are defined along geographic lines. Each district has a president who oversees the congregations in his district, which are further subdivided into local circuits...
of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 2.3 million members, it is both the eighth largest Protestant denomination and the second-largest Lutheran body in the U.S. after the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Synod...
(LCMS), and encompasses the states of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, as well as the southwestern edge of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
; the rest of Kentucky is divided between the Indiana District
Indiana District (LCMS)
The Indiana District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and encompasses the state of Indiana as well as most of western Kentucky; the remainder of Kentucky is divided between the Mid-South District and the Ohio District...
and the Ohio District
Ohio District (LCMS)
The Ohio District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and covers the states of Ohio and West Virginia, as well as eastern Kentucky . In addition, fifteen Ohio congregations are in the non-geographic English District, and eleven are in the SELC District...
. The Mid-South District includes approximately 130 congregations and mission stations, subdivided into 12 circuits
Circuit (LCMS)
A circuit, in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , is a local grouping of congregations within one of the Synod's 35 districts. Circuits typically include 8 to 12 congregations...
, as well as 34 preschools, 15 elementary schools
Lutheran school
Lutheran schools and education were a priority for Lutherans who emigrated to the United States and Australia from Germany and Scandinavia. One of the first things they did was to create schools for their children. This strong educational tradition was handed down from Martin Luther himself. The...
and 2 high schools. Baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
membership in district congregations is over 30,000.
The Mid-South District was formed in 1966 when the Western District was divided, also creating the Missouri District
Missouri District (LCMS)
The Missouri District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and comprises the state of Missouri. Six Missouri congregations are in the non-geographic English District, and one congregation in St. Louis is in the SELC District...
. District offices are located in Cordova, Tennessee; the Rev. Kenneth Lampe has been the district president since 2003, and was reelected in 2006 http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=10093. 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 last convention was held in 2009, and the next will be held June 22-24, 2012 in Memphis, TN.
Presidents
- Rev. Wilbert E. Griesse, 1966-1985
- Rev. Norman L. Groteluschen, 1985-1991
- Rev. David W. Callies, 1991-2003
- Rev. Kenneth E. Lampe, 2003-present
Oldest congregations
- 1846 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Wartburg, TennesseeWartburg, TennesseeWartburg is a city in Morgan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 890 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County.-Geography:...
- 1855 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- 1868 - First Lutheran Church, Fort Smith, ArkansasFort Smith, ArkansasFort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
- 1868 - First Lutheran Church, Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
- 1868 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, KentuckyPaducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
- 1869 - First Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, TennesseeFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
- 1876 - Salem Lutheran Church, Springdale, ArkansasSpringdale, ArkansasAs of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
- 1880 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alexander, ArkansasAlexander, ArkansasAlexander is a town in Pulaski and Saline counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 614 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-AR Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
- 1881 - Zion Lutheran Church, Ulm, ArkansasUlm, ArkansasUlm is a town in Prairie County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 205 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ulm is located at ....
- 1881 - Zion Lutheran Church, Waldenburg, ArkansasWaldenburg, ArkansasWaldenburg is a town in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 80 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Jonesboro, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Waldenburg is located at ....
- 1882 - Zion Lutheran Church, Avilla, ArkansasAvilla, ArkansasAvilla is a census-designated place in Saline County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 896 as of the 2010 census....
- 1882 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Stuttgart, ArkansasStuttgart, ArkansasStuttgart is a city in and the county seat of the northern district of Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States. It is located on U.S. Route 79 about miles southeast of Little Rock. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 9,376.The town proclaims itself the "Rice...
- 1883 - Zion Lutheran Church, Augsburg, ArkansasAugsburg, ArkansasAugsburg is a small unincorporated community in Pope County, Arkansas, United States.In 1883, the first German-speaking Lutheran families began arriving in Pope County, 15 miles northwest of Russellville....
- 1886 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Lafe, ArkansasLafe, ArkansasLafe is a town in Greene County, Arkansas on Crowley's Ridge. The population was 385 at the 2000 census.- History :The first settler of Lafe was Mr. Herman Toelken, a German immigrant who had been living in New Haven, Missouri and was seeking new opportunities in an unsettled area...
- 1887 - First Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
- 1893 - Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, Corning, ArkansasCorning, ArkansasCorning is a city in Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 3,679 at the 2000 census. It is one of the two county seats of Clay County, along with Piggott.-Geography:Corning is located at ....
- 1893 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Gillett, ArkansasGillett, ArkansasGillett is a city in Arkansas County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 819 at the 2000 census. Gillett is the home of the annual Gillett Coon Supper. The Arkansas Post National Memorial is located southeast of the town....
- 1894 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Pine Bluff, ArkansasPine Bluff, ArkansasPine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
- 1900 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Mena, ArkansasMena, ArkansasMena is a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Polk County.It was founded by Arthur Edward Stilwell during the building of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad . It was Stilwell who decided Mena would be the name of this new town along the route to...
- 1915 - First Lutheran Church, Hot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
Largest congregations
- Membership totals include all baptized members and are according to the LCMS website.
- 1068- Grace Lutheran Church, Knoxville, TennesseeKnoxville, TennesseeFounded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
- 982- Christ the King Lutheran Church, Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- 749- Grace Lutheran Church, Clarksville, TennesseeClarksville, TennesseeClarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
- 692- Our Savior Lutheran Church, Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
- 607- Redeemer Lutheran Church, Mountain Home, ArkansasMountain Home, ArkansasMountain Home is a city in and the county seat of Baxter County, Arkansas, United States, in the southern Ozark Mountains.It was recently listed in the top 20 cities in the U.S. for sportsmen in the current edition of Outdoor Life magazine, was recently ranked #2 for Field and Stream's Best Fishing...
- 563- Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
- 598- Immanuel Lutheran Church, Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
- 558- Heavenly Host Lutheran Church, Cookeville, TennesseeCookeville, TennesseeCookeville is a city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,923 at the 2000 census. of Cookeville's population was 30,435, and the combined total of those living in Cookeville's in 2010 was 65,014. It is the county seat of Putnam County and home to Tennessee...
- 508- First Lutheran Church, Fort Smith, ArkansasFort Smith, ArkansasFort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
- 496- Faith Lutheran Church, Collierville, TennesseeCollierville, TennesseeCollierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. The town had a population of 43,965 at the 2010 census....
- 493- Faith Lutheran Church, Oak Ridge, TennesseeOak Ridge, TennesseeOak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
- 489- Grace Lutheran Church, Murfreesboro, TennesseeMurfreesboro, TennesseeMurfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
- 483- Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Paducah, KentuckyPaducah, KentuckyPaducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
- 476- First Lutheran Church, Hot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs, ArkansasHot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
- 460- Christ Lutheran Church, Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
- 1068- Grace Lutheran Church, Knoxville, Tennessee