Official Workbook report source text
Official Workbook source-navigation report record. No analysis has been added.
- Report number/id
- R42
- Report title
- R42 Northern Illinois District
- Workbook start page
- 126
- Workbook end page
- 127
- Source pages
- 126, 127
- Source status
- source_checked
- Committee
- Not available
R42
Northern Illinois District “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.” (1 Cor. 15:58)
By the mercy of our God, all that we have been given to do in the Northern Illinois District is empowered and guided by the fact that Christ Is Risen Indeed! Or said differently, “Jesus wins.” He shares His victory with us as His baptized people. He shares that victory with His beloved Church! What He gives in both Law and Gospel is what we are privileged to share, as we witness to our neighbors and our increasingly secular society. The district covers the northern third of Illinois:
• 196 active congregations • 40 elementary schools • 2 high schools • 25 stand-alone preschools/childcare centers • 1 university, Concordia University Chicago (CUC)
• 1 camp—Walcamp Outdoor Ministry and Retreat Center • 2 new congregations • 5 closed congregations Sadly, this represents some decline since the last reporting to the Synod convention in 2023. That does not mean that our congrega - tions, schools, and ministries are not hard at work, because they are!
2026 Convention Workbook 127 OFFICER, BOARD, AND COMMISSION REPORTS and teacher, and hear students from several Lutheran schools and Walther Christian Academy sing for worship.
Convention actions included a few significant resolutions:
• To State Religious Objection to Governmental Interference of Parents’ Duty • To Ask the Commission on Theology and Church Relations to Study and Publish a Report on Christian Nationalism • To Encourage Congregations to Seek Wellness for Their Church Workers • To Offer Thanks for Congregations and Individuals Who Support with Financial Gifts the Work of the District and the LCMS • To Give Thanks for 150 Years of Black Ministry in the LCMS in 2027 Installation Services: Services of Installation were held at Immanuel Lutheran Church, East Dundee, and Bethany Lutheran Church, Naperville, on May 18, 2025. President Matthew Harrison installed Rev. Dr. Allan Buss to his third term as district president;
he, in turn, installed the newly elected and reelected officers. Rev.
Dr. Lawrence Rast, president emeritus of Concordia Theological Seminary, delivered a historically rich, Christ-centered message.
The offering provided resources for future church workers supported by the district through the Workers of the Word initiative.
It’s been said, “It’s a great time to be the Church!” This is our time to be the Church, and for us that means in Northern Illinois … and beyond. The Lord of the Church is at work … sometimes in spite of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Allan R. Buss, President
