The Southeastern District (SED) includes York, Pennsylvania; Maryland; Delaware; Washington, DC; Virginia; North and South Carolina; and Bristol, Tennessee. Together we have 3 regions, 21 circuits, 214 churches, 59 early childhood/preschool components, 13 elementary school components, 11 middle school components, 3 high school components, and 8 service organizations.
The Southeastern District Mission: In grateful response to God’s grace and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Southeastern District connects people with Jesus.
The Southeastern District Vision: As we work together to connect our neighbors to Jesus, lives are transformed, and God’s Kingdom is growing.
Critical Targets of the Southeastern District: Mobilizing Witness and Empowering Wellness: Multiplying individuals and faith communities to share the love of Christ. Empowering individuals and faith communities to thrive through growth and renewal. The SED has over 33 million people living within the boundaries of the district. We seek to love our neighbors and engage our communities with the Gospel of hope. Our congregations, schools, and service organizations are mission stations where the priesthood of believers are nourished and equipped to live their faith each day and shine the light of Christ in every zip code in the district, seeking to fulfill the mission, vision, and critical targets. At our 2022 convention, the delegates adopted several initiatives, including giving thanks for the faithful ministry of Concordia College New York, addressing the Lutheran teacher shortage and low salaries of LCMS commissioned workers, using the Koinonia Project process to resolve conflict, and exploring non residential opportunities for pastoral education. The convention mandated that the district recruit and apply for admission for 18 specific ministry pastors by the next Southeastern District convention. Intentional and active recruitment of church workers in the district is vital to mobilizing witness and empowering wellness. The convention passed a resolution to advance racial equality and the Great Commission where we ask the Synod in convention to incorporate within our annual celebration of life an encouraging call to repent of all sins against the equal value of life created in God’s image, including, but not limited to, all sins devaluing people due to their tribe, language, skin color, or people group. The Southeastern District is a place where Gospel witness and wellness opportunities abound as people of every race and nation live in our neighborhoods, communities, and cities. Thus, praising the name of Jesus in native tongue is both happening and has mission potential through Hispanic ministry, Ethiopian ministry, Hmong ministry, and in each of the language groups that call this region home. As the Southeastern District seeks to connect people with Jesus so that lives are transformed and God’s kingdom grows, we give thanks for the faithful workers in the district: DCEs, DCOs, musicians, deaconesses, teachers, administrators, lay deacons, pastors, and all workers partnering with the laity to glorify the Lord, serve His people, and fulfill His mission and vision in this part of the LCMS. “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen” ().