“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” () The Northern Illinois District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (NID) covers the northern third of Illinois counties. Only one of those counties, Carroll County, in western Illinois, does not have an LCMS congregation. Here are some of our statistics: • 201 active congregations
- 42 elementary schools
- 2 high schools
- 38 stand-alone preschool/childcare centers
- 1 university (Concordia University Chicago)
- 1 camp (Walcamp Outdoor Ministries and Retreat Center, located in Kingston, Illinois)
- 3 new congregations (since 2019)
- 2 congregations closed (since 2019)
We rejoice that we are brought together and kept together by our Lord Jesus Christ and His gifts given in Word, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. We give thanks for the power of the Word, joy in the Gospel, and our identity as confessional Lutherans who love to share what we have been given by our generous God!
We rejoice in thousands of laymen and laywomen who serve, care, give, pray, and engage in their congregation, ministry, and community. It has been a great joy to meet them. Their labor is not in vain! A special group of men and women are the church workers who serve in the NID. We are blessed with the following: • 224 active pastors;
- 268 active commissioned workers;
- 567 active non roster ed workers;
- 100 ordained pastors, emeriti; and
- 295 commissioned workers, emeriti
Like every district, the NID recognizes the need for more workers in the harvest of our Lord. He helps us see what He always sees: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (). We pray, work, and encourage! COVID-19 presented unique challenges for the NID and our congregations, schools, ministries, and workers, both professional and lay. It was a stressful time, especially with health concerns, government restrictions, disagreements on how to handle the situations, our limited knowledge, and our sinful nature, which doesn’t always “put the best construction on everything.” For all of us, there were plenty of opportunities to “repent and believe in the gospel” (). The Lord promises that all things work together for good for those who love Him, and we rejoice in His abiding and faithful love. We connected more deeply and regularly through Zoom calls with laity, pastors, commissioned workers, and our emeriti. We provided videos for encouragement, direction to Christ and His Word, and opportunities to stay connected. What a blessing for the three Illinois districts to be more deeply connected as we discussed, pondered, and looked for responses to the state of Illinois mandates. The cooperation between our Illinois districts continues. In the summer of 2022, the NID offices moved to the campus of Concordia University Chicago (CUC) in River Forest, Illinois. The facilities used for 42 years in Hillside, Illinois, were sold to a local developer. We lease a house on campus and are blessed by the welcome and community of CUC. There are many benefits, including engaging with students in our daily work and engaging with future church workers. Some of our NID board meetings are held on CUC’s campus, while others are hosted by NID congregations, schools, and ministries. We regularly join the CUC community in chapel services. Over the past four years, congregational and school visitations have been one of our priorities throughout the week. Before COVID-19, we began an intentional commitment to the wellness of our professional church workers. (Little did we know how the Lord provided what was needed.) We have a care team of ordained and commissioned workers who are available for those who have questions, concerns, and struggles with the work to which they have been called or life in general. Individuals from this group have made themselves available at our professional conferences and through one-on-one conversations by phone or in person. This work does not replace professional Christian counseling and pastoral care but remains valuable to our workers. The NID is blessed to provide grants to congregations, schools, and RSOs for special ministry projects with an emphasis on sharing the Gospel with those outside the church and those who do not
know Jesus as Lord and Savior. That grant pool grew through the vision and generosity of a congregation that closed and gave a large portion of its assets to the ongoing Gospel work in northern Illinois. We remember and thank God for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Des Plaines, Illinois. The NID has several urban centers that provide both challenges and opportunities for the congregations, workers, and the Gospel mission. We have some great lay leaders, workers, and ministry partners. We have begun meetings in Chicago to discuss the struggles, partnerships, and work of the Holy Spirit. A special thanks to our African American and Hispanic pastors who in so many cases help us see that greater vision of Jesus and His passion for people of “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (). We have held several urban and multicultural gatherings. The 2021 NID convention was postponed and became the 2022 convention. It was held March 11–12, 2022, at CUC. The theme was “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (). The theme highlighted the blessing of the Word among us, one which we too often take for granted and neglect. It was back to basics for all of us so that in our present circumstances, we remain the beautiful Church Christ redeemed us to be! The Word is where the power is and remains. Worship was enriched by the preaching of President Harrison and the music of several of our NID schools participating with young voices. In addition, we were blessed with the orchestra of Walther Christian Academy. These are among the actions of the district convention: • NID adopted Word, Wellness, and Witness as the threefold emphasis of the NID as we work and serve together under Christ.
- NID adopted Belize as the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8) mission of the NID. With this action, the NID encourages short-term mission teams from NID congregations. This encourages congregations of all sizes to participate together for this mission endeavor. (NID Lutheran schools have made the mission work in Belize their “Hearts for Jesus” project.) We are partnering with LCMS International Mission and the Belize Mission Society.
- NID formed a task force on ethnic ministry that has since been titled “Northern Illinois District Task Force on Multi Ethnic Mission and Ministry.” The task force is currently working on a history of ethnic ministry in the NID and the creation of Bible study materials and resources for future discussion by congregations, schools, and individuals on how we as Christ’s people proceed to His honor with our diverse ethnic backgrounds.
- NID encouraged individual Bible reading and gave thanks for the 500th anniversary of Luther’s translation of the New Testament into the language of the people.
- NID asked the district president to continue the ministry of visitation with his representatives to encourage congregational life, mission, and faithfulness in the administration of the Lord’s gift of Holy Communion for the sake of greater harmony among us.
- The Rev. Dr. Allan R. Buss was elected to his second term.
Services of Installation were held on May 22, 2022, in two congregations of the NID: St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Park Ridge, and Trinity Lutheran Church, Tinley Park. We were grateful for the participation of Rev. Dr. Thomas Egger as preacher and Rev. Dr.
Matthew Harrison as installer. We were grateful for these services with grassroots participation in the heart of the NID, our congregations. Finally, a great joy has been Circuit Partnership Gatherings held throughout the NID. While delayed because of COVID-19, congregational chairs, vice-chairs, treasurers, lead elders, and others have gathered with pastors and NID staff to discuss, lament, rejoice, and look for possible areas of partnership. It has been a joy to see opportunities discovered, care given, new connections made, and encouragement through Christ generously given. Yes, we rejoice that we proclaim Christ crucified and risen, ascended, our great High Priest, the Lord of the nations, Church, and the mission!