California-Nevada-Hawaii District (LCMS)
Encyclopedia
The California-Nevada-Hawaii District is one of the 35 districts
of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LCMS), 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. Southern California
and the Las Vegas area form part of the Pacific Southwest District
; in addition, three congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area
are in the non-geographic English District
. The California-Nevada-Hawaii District includes approximately 189 congregations and missions, subdivided into 19 circuits
, as well as 61 preschools, 33 elementary schools
and 3 high schools. Baptized
membership in district congregations is over 50,000.http://cnh-lcms.org/cnh/home
The California-Nevada-Hawaii District was formed in 1899 as the California and Nevada District when the California and Oregon District was divided, also creating the Oregon and Washington District
(renamed the Northwest District in 1948); the Southern California District (later renamed the Pacific Southwest District) was separated from the district's area in 1930. The district was renamed the California-Nevada Hawaii District in 1985. District offices are located in Livermore, California
; the Rev. Dr. Robert Newton has been the district president since 2003, and was reelected to a third term in 2009 http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=15317. 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 on May 15-17, 2009, and the next will be held in April 27-29, 2012 in Burlingame, CA.
Jacobs resigned in protest in January 1977 following widespread criticism for his having ordained graduates of Seminex
, and became bishop of the Pacific Regional Synod of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
(AELC) before his death in September of that year http://chi.lcms.org/history/tih0926.htm.
Oldest in Hawaii: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Honolulu, Hawaii
, 1945
Largest in Hawaii: Our Savior Lutheran Church, Aiea, Hawaii, 318
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 Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with the exception of its eight southernmost counties, and Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
with the exception of the Las Vegas metropolitan area
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
at its southern end. Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
and the Las Vegas area form part of the Pacific Southwest District
Pacific Southwest District (LCMS)
The Pacific Southwest District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod . It covers Southern California , Arizona and the southern tip of Nevada, and includes nearly 300 congregations subdivided into 32 circuits, as well as 120 preschools, 76 elementary schools and 9...
; in addition, three congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
are in the non-geographic English District
English District (LCMS)
The English District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod . It is one of the Synod's two non-geographical districts, along with the SELC District, and has its origins in the congregations of the former English Evangelical Lutheran Synod, which merged with the LCMS in...
. The California-Nevada-Hawaii District includes approximately 189 congregations and missions, subdivided into 19 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 61 preschools, 33 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 over 50,000.http://cnh-lcms.org/cnh/home
The California-Nevada-Hawaii District was formed in 1899 as the California and Nevada District when the California and Oregon District was divided, also creating the Oregon and Washington District
Northwest District (LCMS)
The Northwest District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and encompasses the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington; one Idaho congregation is in the Montana District...
(renamed the Northwest District in 1948); the Southern California District (later renamed the Pacific Southwest District) was separated from the district's area in 1930. The district was renamed the California-Nevada Hawaii District in 1985. District offices are located in Livermore, California
Livermore, California
Livermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
; the Rev. Dr. Robert Newton has been the district president since 2003, and was reelected to a third term in 2009 http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=15317. 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 on May 15-17, 2009, and the next will be held in April 27-29, 2012 in Burlingame, CA.
Presidents
- Rev. J. M. Bühler, 1899–1901
- Rev. George P. Runkel, 1901–05
- Rev. George A. Bernthal, 1905–20
- Rev. J. W. Theiss, 1920–24
- Rev. Arthur Clemens Henry Brohm, 1924–45
- Rev. C. Fickenscher, 1945–54
- Rev. Arthur C. Nitz, 1954–59
- Rev. Paul E. Jacobs, 1959–77
- Rev. Orval M. Oswald, 1977-91
- Rev. Walter C. Tietjen, 1991-2003
- Rev. Robert D. Newton, 2003-present
Jacobs resigned in protest in January 1977 following widespread criticism for his having ordained graduates of Seminex
Seminex
Seminex is the widely used abbreviation for Concordia Seminary in Exile . An institution for the training of Lutheran ministers, Seminex existed from 1974 to 1987. It was formed after a walk-out by dissident faculty and students of Concordia Seminary in St...
, and became bishop of the Pacific Regional Synod of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches was a U.S. church body that existed from 1976 through the end of 1987. The AELC formed when approximately 250 dissident congregations withdrew from the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in 1976, and ended as an independent body when it became part...
(AELC) before his death in September of that year http://chi.lcms.org/history/tih0926.htm.
Oldest congregations
- 1882 - First Immanuel Lutheran Church, San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
- 1882 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Stockton, CaliforniaStockton, CaliforniaStockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
- 1882 - Zion Lutheran Church, Piedmont, CaliforniaPiedmont, CaliforniaPiedmont is a small, affluent city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is surrounded by the city of Oakland. The population was 10,667 at the 2010 census. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907 and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s...
- 1887 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Artois, CaliforniaArtois, CaliforniaArtois is a census-designated place in Glenn County, California. It is located north of Willows, at an elevation of 167 feet , in the northern Sacramento Valley of California. It is located on the former US Highway 99W, and is bypassed to the west by Interstate Highway 5...
- 1888 - Saint Luke Lutheran Church, Santa Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
- 1890 - Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Clovis, CaliforniaClovis, CaliforniaClovis is a city in Fresno County, California, United States, northeast of Fresno. The population is estimated to be 97,218 as of September, 2011. Clovis is located northeast of downtown Fresno, at an elevation of 361 feet .-History:...
- 1892 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Tracy, CaliforniaTracy, CaliforniaTracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States and an exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- 1893 - Saint James Lutheran Church, Newman, CaliforniaNewman, CaliforniaNewman is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States. The population was 10,224 at the 2010 census, up from 7,093 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded by Simon Newman in 1888, the City of Newman is part of the West Side of California's...
- 1895 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Gardnerville, NevadaGardnerville, NevadaGardnerville is a census-designated place in Douglas County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the county seat of Minden. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census....
- 1898 - St. Peter Lutheran Church, Lodi, CaliforniaLodi, CaliforniaLodi is a city located in , in the northern portion of California's Central Valley. The population was 62,134 at the 2010 census. The California Department of Finance's population estimate as of January 1, 2011 is 62,473....
- 1899 - Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
- 1902 - Saint Luke Lutheran Church, Reno, NevadaReno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
- 1903 - First Trinity Lutheran Church, Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
- 1904 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
- 1904 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Napa, CaliforniaNapa, California-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
- 1904 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Susanville, CaliforniaSusanville, CaliforniaSusanville is the county seat of Lassen County, California, United States. Susanville is located on the Susan River in the south-central part of the county, at an elevation of 4186 feet . The population was 17,974 at the 2010 census, up from 13,541 at the 2000 census...
- 1905 - Saint Mark Lutheran Church, Ferndale, CaliforniaFerndale, CaliforniaFerndale is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Known for its well-preserved Victorian buildings, the city's population was 1,371 at the 2010 census, down from 1,382 at the 2000 census...
- 1905 - Zion Lutheran Church, Inner Richmond District, San Francisco, CaliforniaRichmond District, San Francisco, CaliforniaThe Richmond District is a neighborhood in the northwest corner of San Francisco, California.-Location:Lying directly north of Golden Gate Park, "the Richmond" is bounded roughly by Fulton Street to the south, Arguello Boulevard and Laurel Heights to the east, The Presidio National Park and Lincoln...
- 1906 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Valley Home, CaliforniaValley Home, CaliforniaValley Home is a census-designated place in Stanislaus County, California. It is located about northwest of Oakdale, and named after the warm home feeling for the Central Valley. Valley Home sits at an elevation of...
- 1907 - First Lutheran Church, Dinuba, CaliforniaDinuba, CaliforniaDinuba is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 21,453 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Visalia Metropolitan Statistical Area according to the United States Census Bureau...
- 1907 - Grace Lutheran Church, Visalia, CaliforniaVisalia, CaliforniaVisalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
- 1907 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Selma, CaliforniaSelma, CaliforniaSelma is a city in Fresno County, California. The population was 23,219 at the 2010 census, up from 19,240 at the 2000 census. Selma is located southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 308 feet .-Geography:...
Oldest in Hawaii: Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
, 1945
Largest congregations
- Membership totals include all baptized members and are according to the LCMS website.
- 1836 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
- 1489 - Saint Luke Lutheran Church, Reno, NevadaReno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
- 1162 - Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Fremont, CaliforniaFremont, CaliforniaFremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
- 997 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Tracy, CaliforniaTracy, CaliforniaTracy is the second most populated city in San Joaquin County, California, United States and an exurb of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 82,922 at the 2010 census.-History:...
- 910 - Saint Mark Lutheran Church, Santa Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
- 876 - Saint Andrew Lutheran Church, Stockton, CaliforniaStockton, CaliforniaStockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
- 842 - Grace Lutheran Church, Visalia, CaliforniaVisalia, CaliforniaVisalia is a Central California city situated in the heart of California’s agricultural San Joaquin Valley, approximately southeast of San Francisco and north of Los Angeles...
- 835 - Saint John's Lutheran Church, Napa, CaliforniaNapa, California-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
- 705 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Livermore, CaliforniaLivermore, CaliforniaLivermore is a city in Alameda County. The population as of 2010 was 80,968. Livermore is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisco Bay Area....
- 683 - Lutheran Church Of Our Savior, Cupertino, CaliforniaCupertino, CaliforniaCupertino is an affluent suburban city in Santa Clara County, California in the U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census. Forbes...
- 660 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church , Merced, CaliforniaMerced, CaliforniaMerced is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California in the San Joaquin Valley of Northern California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 78,958. Incorporated in 1889, Merced is a charter city that operates under a council-manager government...
- 599 - Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Milpitas, CaliforniaMilpitas, CaliforniaMilpitas is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is a suburb of the major city of San Jose, California. It is located with San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north, at the eastern end of State Route 237 and generally between Interstates 680 and 880 which run roughly north/south...
- 592 - Bethany Lutheran Church, Vacaville, CaliforniaVacaville, CaliforniaVacaville, California is a city located in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Solano County. The city is nearly half way between Sacramento and San Francisco on I-80. It sits approximately from Sacramento, and from San Francisco...
- 566 - Saint Philip Lutheran Church, Dublin, CaliforniaDublin, CaliforniaDublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
- 550 - Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Turlock, CaliforniaTurlock, CaliforniaTurlock is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States, part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, Turlock had a population of 80,549, up from 55,810 at the 2000 census, making it the second-largest city in Stanislaus County.-Geography:Turlock lies in the...
- 1836 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Bakersfield, California
Largest in Hawaii: Our Savior Lutheran Church, Aiea, Hawaii, 318