New Jersey District (LCMS)
Encyclopedia
The New Jersey District is one of the 35 districts
of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LCMS), and comprises the state of New Jersey
; five of the state's congregations are in the non-geographic English District
, and five more are in the SELC District
. The New Jersey District includes approximately 62 congregations and missions (the fewest of any geographic district), subdivided into 6 circuits
, as well as 23 preschools and 5 elementary schools
. Baptized
membership in district congregations is approximately 17,000.
The New Jersey District was formed in 1972 out of part of the Atlantic District
. District offices are located in Mountainside, New Jersey
. The Rev. William Klettke has been the district president since September 2000, and was reelected to a fourth term in 2009. 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 31-June 2, 2012 in Mt. Laurel, NJ.
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 comprises the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
; five of the state's congregations 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...
, and five more are in the SELC District
SELC District (LCMS)
The SELC 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 English District, and has its origins in the congregations of the former Slovak Evangelical Lutheran Church, which merged with the LCMS in...
. The New Jersey District includes approximately 62 congregations and missions (the fewest of any geographic district), 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 23 preschools and 5 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 17,000.
The New Jersey District was formed in 1972 out of part of the Atlantic District
Atlantic District (LCMS)
The Atlantic District is one of the 35 districts of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , and covers eastern New York state: New York City, Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and the Capital District...
. District offices are located in Mountainside, New Jersey
Mountainside, New Jersey
If you are looking for the community in Ontario, see Mountainside, Ontario.Mountainside is a borough in Union County, New Jersey, United States...
. The Rev. William Klettke has been the district president since September 2000, and was reelected to a fourth term in 2009. 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 31-June 2, 2012 in Mt. Laurel, NJ.
Presidents
- Rev. Walter L. Zeile, 1972-85
- Rev. Donald W. Sandmann, 1985-2000
- Rev. William R. Klettke, 2000-present
Oldest congregations
- 1858 - Saint John First Lutheran Church, Bridgeton, New JerseyBridgeton, New JerseyBridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States, in the south part of the state, on the Cohansey River, near Delaware Bay. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 25,349. It is the county seat of Cumberland County...
- 1886 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Clifton, New JerseyClifton, New JerseyClifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 84,136. The 2010 population represented an increase of 5,464 residents from its population of 78,672 in the 2000 Census, making it the state's 11th largest...
- 1887 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Closter, New JerseyCloster, New JerseyCloster is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,373. After the turn of the century, Closter changed from being sprawling estates and farms into a middle and upper middle class suburban town...
- 1895 - Saint Matthew Lutheran Church, New Milford, New JerseyNew Milford, New JerseyNew Milford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 16,341.New Milford was incorporated as a borough on March 11, 1922, from what remained of Palisades Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 18,...
- 1896 - Saint John Lutheran Church, Bloomfield, New JerseyBloomfield, New JerseyBloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 47,315. It surrounds the Bloomfield Green Historic District.-History:...
- 1899 - Zion Lutheran Church, Maywood, New JerseyMaywood, New JerseyMaywood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 9,555.Maywood was incorporated as a borough on June 29, 1894, from portions of Midland Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day, at the height of the...
- 1900 - Trinity Lutheran Church, Cliffside Park, New JerseyCliffside Park, New JerseyCliffside Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 23,594....
- 1905 - Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood, New JerseyRidgewood, New JerseyRidgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was...
- 1905 - Zion Lutheran Church, Westwood, New JerseyWestwood, New JerseyWestwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,908....
- 1908 - Immanuel Lutheran Church, East Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford, New JerseyEast Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
- Only church in Pennsylvania: Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Milford, Pennsylvania (2007)
Largest congregations
- Membership totals include all baptized members and are according to the LCMS website.
- 1240 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Flemington, New JerseyFlemington, New JerseyFlemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
- 951 - Zion Lutheran Church, Westwood, New JerseyWestwood, New JerseyWestwood is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 10,908....
- 897 - Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood, New JerseyRidgewood, New JerseyRidgewood is a village in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village population was 24,958. Ridgewood is an affluent suburban bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown Manhattan.The Village of Ridgewood was...
- 578 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Fair Lawn, New JerseyFair Lawn, New JerseyFair Lawn is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and a suburban municipality in the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 32,457. Fair Lawn was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March...
- 561 - Holy Faith Lutheran Church, Oak Ridge, New JerseyOak Ridge, New JerseyOak Ridge is an unincorporated area within West Milford in Passaic County and Jefferson Township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 07438....
- 516 - King of Kings Lutheran Church, Mountain Lakes, New JerseyMountain Lakes, New JerseyMountain Lakes is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 4,256....
- 493 - Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fords, New JerseyFords, New JerseyFords is a census-designated place and unincorporated area within Woodbridge Township, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 15,032.-Geography:Fords is located at ....
- 439 - Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Howell, New Jersey
- 421 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Westfield, New JerseyWestfield, New JerseyWestfield is a town in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 30,316. The old village area, now the downtown district, was settled in 1720 as part of the Elizabethtown Tract....
- 402 - Village Lutheran Church, Lanoka Harbor, New JerseyLanoka Harbor, New JerseyLanoka Harbor is an unincorporated area located in Ocean County, New Jersey. Politically, it is part of Lacey Township.Murray Grove is a Unitarian-Universalist retreat and conference center in Lanoka Harbor, traditionally considered the site where Universalism in America began....
- 375 - Christ Memorial Lutheran Church, East Brunswick, New Jersey
- 375 - Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, Tinton Falls, New JerseyTinton Falls, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,053 people, 5,883 households, and 3,976 families residing in the borough. The population density was 965.7 people per square mile . There were 6,211 housing units at an average density of 398.4 per square mile...
- 371 - Somerset Hills Lutheran Church, Basking Ridge, New JerseyBasking Ridge, New Jersey- Demographics :As Basking Ridge is not an independent municipality, the following demographic data is based on the United States Census Bureau figures for the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for the 07920 ZIP Code...
- 342 - Our Savior Lutheran Church, Stanhope, New JerseyStanhope, New Jersey-Transportation:Route 183 is the main access road that serves the borough. U.S. Route 206 also passes through in the western section and is partially a limited access road which connects to I-80 in neighboring Mount Olive.-Demographics:...
- 334 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, Newton, New JerseyNewton, New JerseyNewton is a town in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 8,244. It is the county seat of Sussex County....
- 1240 - Saint Paul Lutheran Church, Flemington, New Jersey
- Only church in Pennsylvania: Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Milford, PennsylvaniaMilford, PennsylvaniaMilford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
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