The Northwest District is one of the 35 districts

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 Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 and Washington; one Idaho congregation is in the Montana District

Montana District (LCMS)

The Montana District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and comprises the state of Montana, also including one congregation in Idaho; the rest of Idaho is included in the Northwest District. The Montana District includes approximately 67 congregations and missions,...

. The Northwest District includes approximately 263 congregations and missions, subdivided into 25 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 94 preschools, 35 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 3 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 approximately 75,000.

The Northwest District was formed as the Oregon and Washington District in 1899 when the California and Oregon District was divided, also creating the California and Nevada District

California-Nevada-Hawaii District (LCMS)

The California-Nevada-Hawaii District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and encompasses the state of Hawaii, California with the exception of its eight southernmost counties, and Nevada with the exception of the Las Vegas metropolitan area at its southern end...

; the name was changed to the Northwest District in 1948. District offices are located in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

. The Rev. Paul Linnemann became the district president in 2009 http://www.nowlcms.org/Resources/Publications/CurrentNWPassage6-2009.pdf. 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 June 18-20, 2009, and the next will be held June 21-23, 2012 in Portland, OR.

Concordia University

Concordia University (Portland, Oregon)

Concordia University is a private, Christian university located in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1905 as a University-preparatory school, the institution added college classes in 1950 and the high school was split-off in 1977...

 in Portland, part of the LCMS' Concordia University System

Concordia University System

The Concordia University System is an organization of ten colleges and universities throughout the United States operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod . All ten institutions are named "Concordia" and all include professional church work programs as part of their curricula. The CUS was...

, is located within the district.

Presidents

• Rev. Henry August Carl Paul, 1899–1903
• Rev. W. Lüssenhop, 1903–06
• Rev. W. H. Behrens, 1906–09
• Rev. Ludwig Frederick Emil Stuebe, 1909–18
• Rev. Johann Adam Rimbach, 1918–21
• Rev. Weert J. Janssen, 1921–36
• Rev. Frederick Max Leopold Nitz, 1936–48
• Rev. Carl H. Bensene, 1948–70
• Rev. Emil G. Jaech, 1970–82
• Rev. Erhart L. Bauer, 1982-94
• Rev. Dr. Warren W. Schumacher, 1994-2009
• Rev. Paul Linnemann, 2009-present

Oldest congregations

• 1875 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Sherwood, Oregon
  Sherwood, Oregon
  Sherwood is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located in the southeast corner of the county, it is a residential community in the Tualatin Valley southwest of Portland. The population was 11,791 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 16,115 residents...
  
  
• 1882 - Saint Peter Lutheran Church, Cornelius, Oregon
  Cornelius, Oregon
  Cornelius is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 9,652 at the 2000 census. The 2007 estimate is 10,895 residents.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
  
  
• 1889 - Zion Lutheran Church
  Zion Lutheran Church (Portland, Oregon)
  The Zion Lutheran Church is a church located in downtown Portland, Oregon, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Master architect Pietro Belluschi employed a number of innovations in this 1950 church, a pioneering example of the application of modern architectural principles to a...
  
  , Goose Hollow, Portland, Oregon
  Goose Hollow, Portland, Oregon
  Goose Hollow is a neighborhood in southwest Portland, Oregon. It acquired its distinctive name through early residents’ practice of letting their geese run free near the wooded ravine in the Tualatin Mountains now known as the Tanner Creek Canyon and in the now infilled Tanner Creek Gulch...
  
  
• 1890 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Mount Angel, Oregon
  Mount Angel, Oregon
  Mt. Angel is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It is northeast of Salem, Oregon on Oregon Route 214. The population was 3,121 at the 2000 census. Mt. Angel is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Portland State University Population Research Center estimate from 2008...
  
  
• 1890 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Cully, Portland, Oregon
  Cully, Portland, Oregon
  Cully is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Portland, Oregon. The neighborhood, as well as NE Cully Blvd. that runs diagonally through it, is named after English stonemason Thomas Cully , an early settler...
  
  
• 1890 - Zion Lutheran Church, Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
  
  
• 1891 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Albany, Oregon
  Albany, Oregon
  Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
  
  
• 1892 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Grangeville, Idaho
  Grangeville, Idaho
  Grangeville is the largest city in and the county seat of Idaho County, Idaho, United States, in the west central part of the state. It had a population of 3,141 at the 2010 census.- Culture :...
  
  
• 1892 - Zion Lutheran Church, Snohomish, Washington
  Snohomish, Washington
  Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
  
  
• 1899 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Salem, Oregon
  Salem, Oregon
  Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
  
  
• 1900 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Spokane, Washington
  Spokane, Washington
  Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
  
  
• 1901 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Everett, Washington
  Everett, Washington
  Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
  
  
• 1901 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Sheridan, Oregon
  Sheridan, Oregon
  Sheridan is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Platted in the 1860s when it received a post office, the city was incorporated in 1880. A major fire burned much of the city in 1913, and a flood covered much of the city in 1964...
  
  
• 1901 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington
  Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington
  Capitol Hill is the most densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the center of the city's gay and counterculture communities, and is one of the city's most prominent nightlife and entertainment districts....
  
  
• 1902 - Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Yakima, Washington
  Yakima, Washington
  Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...
  
  
• 1902 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hood River, Oregon
  Hood River, Oregon
  The city of Hood River is the seat of Hood River County, Oregon, United States. It is a port on the Columbia River, and is named for the nearby Hood River. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,831...
  
  
• 1903 - Salem Lutheran Church, Marlin, Washington
• 1904 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, New Plymouth, Idaho
  New Plymouth, Idaho
  New Plymouth is a city in Payette County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,400 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated on February 15, 1896. It is the host of the annual Payette County Fair....
  
  
• 1904 - Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon
  Hillsboro, Oregon
  Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
  
  
• 1905 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tonasket, Washington
  Tonasket, Washington
  Tonasket is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 994 at the 2000 census and increased 3.8% to 1,032 at the 2010 census.-History:Tonasket was officially incorporated on December 16, 1927...
  
  
• 1905 - Zion Lutheran Church, Corvallis, Oregon
  Corvallis, Oregon
  Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
  
  

Oldest in Alaska: Saint John Lutheran Church, Palmer, Alaska

Palmer, Alaska

Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937....

, 1935

Largest congregations

Membership totals are c. 2006.

• 2155 - Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Federal Way, Washington
  Federal Way, Washington
  Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. Federal Way is located between Seattle and Tacoma. Its western boundary is Puget Sound. It is bordered by Des Moines on the north, Kent, unincorporated King County, and Milton on the east and Tacoma and Fife on the south...
  
  
• 2105 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Spokane, Washington
  Spokane, Washington
  Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
  
  
• 2001 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
  
  
• 1379 - Grace Lutheran Church, Pocatello, Idaho
  Pocatello, Idaho
  Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
  
  
• 1311 - Hope Lutheran Church, Genesee, Seattle, Washington
  West Seattle, Seattle, Washington
  West Seattle comprises two of Seattle, Washington's thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks...
  
  
• 1091 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Vancouver, Washington
  Vancouver, Washington
  Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
  
  
• 1037 - Christ the King Lutheran Church, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
  Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
  Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
  
  
• 956 - Memorial Lutheran Church, Vancouver, Washington
  Vancouver, Washington
  Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
  
  
• 942 - Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Lents, Portland, Oregon
  Lents, Portland, Oregon
  The Lents neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon is bordered by SE Powell Blvd. on the north, the Clackamas County line or City of Portland line on the south , SE 82nd Ave. to the west, and roughly SE 112th on the east. The NE corner overlaps with the Powellhurst-Gilbert...
  
  
• 911 - Zion Lutheran Church, Fairbanks, Alaska
  Fairbanks, Alaska
  Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
  
  
• 865 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Palmer, Alaska
  Palmer, Alaska
  Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937....
  
  
• 836 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Bend, Oregon
  Bend, Oregon
  Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
  
  
• 818 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, Oregon
  Hillsboro, Oregon
  Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
  
  
• 799 - Peace Lutheran Church, Bremerton, Washington
  Bremerton, Washington
  Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
  
  
• 780 - Calvary Lutheran Church, Aberdeen, Washington
  Aberdeen, Washington
  Aberdeen is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884. Aberdeen was incorporated on May 12, 1890. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis...
  
  
• 777 - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Boise, Idaho
  Boise, Idaho
  Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
  
  
• 776 - Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Spokane, Washington
  Spokane, Washington
  Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
  
  
• 772 - Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Aloha, Oregon
  Aloha, Oregon
  Aloha is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 49,425.-History:...
  
  
• 726 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Puyallup, Washington
  Puyallup, Washington
  Puyallup, Washington is a city in Pierce County, Washington about five miles east of Tacoma. The population was 37,022 at the 2010 Census. Named after the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans, Puyallup means "the generous people."-History:...
  
  
• 702 - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma, Washington
  Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
  
  

External links

• Northwest District web site
• LCMS: Northwest Districtand congregation directory
• Synodal-Bericht des California und Oregon Distrikts der Deutschen Evang.-Luth. Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten (1887-1898) - Google Books
• Synodal-Bericht des Oregon- und Washington-Districts der Deutschen Evang.-Luth. Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten (1900-1919) - Google Books