English District, 1893 - 1995

The early history of the LCMS English District actually took place with the district being a synod. The entire period is bound up under the direction of the Henkel family. In 1848, some of the members of one of the synods organized by the Henkels went across the mountains from Tennessee to Missouri to investigate a group of Saxons who had immigrated to that locale from Saxony that year. The group was led by C. F. W. Walther. The group from Tennessee like what they saw and decided that they were spiritual kin with the Saxons.

The problem of amalgamation with the LCMS began early. The organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America saw the English group helping greatly to form the conference. However, the English Conference of Missouri tried to join the Synodical Conference in 1878 and was turned down. Instead, the suggestion was that they join the Western District of the LCMS. From 1878 to 1890 the problems continued for the English group. Since the conference was predominantly German (the Norwegians had left in 1882), the English group wasn't accepted into membership. Further, when the Norwegians united (1890) and the people from the South united (1886), the English group didn't get along with them. Even Missouri, recalling earlier difficulties encountered by the Ohio Synod with English districts, refused to accept them. Finally, in 1890 the group was admitted to the Synodical Conference as the English Synod of Missouri, a full synod. In May 1882, the first issue of The Lutheran witness, an English paper, appeared.

The next chapter of history involved in this group's amalgamation with LCMS concerns the whole issue of the English language and F. Kuegele. It seems that Kuegele was sent by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, to a parish in Ohio. The parish spoke only English. When Ohio became adversary to LCMS on the issue of predestination, Kuegele helped to form the Concordia Synod. In 1886 this group amalgamated with LCMS. Kuegele further became the president of an English Conference. In 1892 Kuegele sided with LCMS against Ohio. He further suggested that a new Book of Concord be published to replace Henkel's edition. From 1888 to 1911 the English Synod was its own organization. In 1891 its name became The English Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States. In 1892 the English Synod published its own Order of Service. In 1911 the English Synod was accepted as a district bf the LCMS. The district has also benefited the LCMS by giving it St. John's College, Winfield, Kansas.

Since becoming a district, the English District has continued its confessional stand and has also continued to proclaim the Gospel in ways not able to be carried out by the geographical districts of LCMS. Many attempts have been made to amalgamate the English District into the geographical districts of LCMS. To this date, none of these attempts has been successful. The English District and the SELC (Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches) are the only non-geographical districts in LCMS.