Wyoming District (LCMS)
Encyclopedia
The Wyoming District is one of the 35 districts
of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LCMS), and encompasses the state of Wyoming
as well as the Nebraska
Panhandle
and one congregation in Colorado
; the rest of Nebraska constitutes the Nebraska District
except for one congregation in the Rocky Mountain District
, which also includes the rest of Colorado. The Wyoming District includes approximately 62 congregations and missions, subdivided into 6 circuits
, as well as 10 preschools and 4 elementary schools
. Baptized
membership in district congregations is approximately 15,000, making it one of the two smallest districts along with the Montana District
, which is roughly equal in size; a merger of the two districts has been proposed http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=10180.
The Wyoming District was formed on September 30, 1970, separating from the Northern Nebraska District – which then merged with the Southern Nebraska District to form the current Nebraska District. Wyoming District offices are located in Casper, Wyoming
; the Rev. Richard Boche became the district president in September 2006 http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=9962. 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 May 10-12, 2012 in Casper, WY.
Only congregation in Colorado: Zion Lutheran Church, Grover, Colorado
, 1916
Only congregation in Colorado: Zion Lutheran Church, Grover, Colorado
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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 state of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
as well as the Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
Panhandle
Nebraska Panhandle
The Nebraska Panhandle is an area in the west of the state of Nebraska. A panhandle is an area extending from the rest of a political unit; the Nebraska panhandle is two-thirds as broad as the rest of the state. It is approximately 100 miles east to west and 125 miles north to south...
and one congregation in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
; the rest of Nebraska constitutes the Nebraska District
Nebraska District (LCMS)
The Nebraska District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and comprises the state of Nebraska with the exception of its Panhandle, which is in the Wyoming District; the district also includes one congregation in Kansas...
except for one congregation in the Rocky Mountain District
Rocky Mountain District (LCMS)
The Rocky Mountain District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod . It encompasses the states of Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, as well as El Paso County, Texas; the rest of Texas constitutes the Texas District, and one Colorado congregation is in the Wyoming District...
, which also includes the rest of Colorado. The Wyoming District includes approximately 62 congregations and missions, subdivided into 6 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 10 preschools and 4 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...
. 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 15,000, making it one of the two smallest districts along with 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,...
, which is roughly equal in size; a merger of the two districts has been proposed http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=10180.
The Wyoming District was formed on September 30, 1970, separating from the Northern Nebraska District – which then merged with the Southern Nebraska District to form the current Nebraska District. Wyoming District offices are located in Casper, Wyoming
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
; the Rev. Richard Boche became the district president in September 2006 http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=9962. 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 May 10-12, 2012 in Casper, WY.
Presidents
- Rev. Henry W. Niermann, 1970-82
- Rev. Wilbert J. Sohns, 1982-91
- Rev. Robert C. Oberheu, 1991-94
- Rev. Ronald M. Garwood, 1994-2006
- Rev. Richard O. Boche, 2006-present
Oldest congregations
- 1886 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Sidney, NebraskaSidney, NebraskaSidney is a city in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cheyenne County.-History:The city was named for Sidney Dillon, a railroad attorney...
- 1889 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Rushville, NebraskaRushville, NebraskaRushville is a city in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 890 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sheridan County.-Geography:Rushville is located at ....
- 1892 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne, WyomingCheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
- 1899 - Zion Lutheran Church, Emblem, WyomingEmblem, WyomingEmblem is an unincorporated community in western Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The community has an official population of 10 although the surrounding rural area increases the number to over 100. It lies along the concurrent U.S. Routes 14, 16, and 20, west-northwest of the town of...
- 1903 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WyomingSheridan, WyomingSheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
- 1908 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Burns, WyomingBurns, WyomingBurns is a town in Laramie County, Wyoming, United States. It is part of the Cheyenne, Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 285 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burns is located at , about 25 miles east of Cheyenne....
- 1908 - Saint James Lutheran Church, Scottsbluff, NebraskaScottsbluff, NebraskaScottsbluff is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 15,039 at the 2010 census. Scottsbluff is the largest city in the Nebraska Panhandle, and the 13th largest city in Nebraska....
- 1910 - Salem Lutheran Church, Gurley, NebraskaGurley, NebraskaGurley is a village in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Gurley is located at ....
- 1910 - Zion Lutheran Church, Big Springs, NebraskaBig Springs, NebraskaBig Springs is a village in Deuel County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 418 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Big Springs is located at ....
- 1911 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alliance, NebraskaAlliance, Nebraska-External links:* * *...
Only congregation in Colorado: Zion Lutheran Church, Grover, Colorado
Grover, Colorado
Grover is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 153 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Grover is located at ....
, 1916
Largest congregations
- Membership totals are c. 2011.
- 1257 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Gillette, WyomingGillette, WyomingGillette is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 29,087 in 2010. Gillette is a city centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas...
- 766 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WyomingSheridan, WyomingSheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
- 708 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alliance, NebraskaAlliance, Nebraska-External links:* * *...
- 588 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne, WyomingCheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
- 575 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Riverton, WyomingRiverton, WyomingRiverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. It is both the largest city in the county and the largest within the historical boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The city's population was 9,310 at the 2000 census...
- 551 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne, WyomingCheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
- 501 - Faith Lutheran Church, Gering, NebraskaGering, NebraskaGering is a city in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,751 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scotts Bluff County....
- 446 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Torrington, WyomingTorrington, WyomingTorrington is a city in and the county seat of Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,776 at the 2000 census. Torrington is the home of Eastern Wyoming College....
- 411 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Casper, WyomingCasper, WyomingCasper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
- 413 - Christ the King Lutheran Church, Cody, WyomingCody, WyomingCody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
- 365 - Mount Hope Lutheran Church, Casper, WyomingCasper, WyomingCasper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
- 1257 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Gillette, Wyoming
Only congregation in Colorado: Zion Lutheran Church, Grover, Colorado
Grover, Colorado
Grover is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 153 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Grover is located at ....
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