Synod Office

The Central/Southern Illinois Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a diverse synod comprised of 148 congregations in 76 of the 102 Illinois counties. The synod is largely south of I-80, the lower three-quarters of the State of Illinois. The cities of Peoria, Springfield, Champaign/Urbana, Bloomington/Normal, Decatur, and the East St. Louis area are located in our synod; however, approximately two-thirds of our congregations are rural and small town. A large number of the counties are declining in population and have been for some time. There are approximately 58,000 baptized members.

There are several educational institutions in our synod. In addition to the University of Illinois in Champaign and Springfield, there is also Illinois State University in Normal, Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and Edwardsville, and Western Illinois University in Macomb. We officially have campus centers in two of those universities, and the opportunity for ministry in the others.

The parts of our synod that are further south reflect more of a southern culture than a northern culture which adds to the diversity of the synod. When we take the whole synod into consideration, in addition to great educational institutions, we have one of the greatest number of prisons per capita of any synod. The number of wineries continues to increase and coal mining is on the rise in spite of the concerns of global warming. Several recreational lakes are in our synod as well as the Shawnee National Forest.

The Central/Southern Illinois Synod relates to the Ambovombe and Ft. Dauphin Synods in Madagascar and are continually in dialogue about ways in which our relationship with the Malagasy Lutheran Church can deepen. Our Partner Synod is the Upstate New York Synod.The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, where the synod office is located, continues to expand on the Abraham Lincoln theme including the nationally renowned Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library. Consequently tourism continues to be a major industry of Central/Southern Illinois. Springfield is also home to wonderful medical facilities and the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine medical school for second through fourth year medical students. And, of course, Illinois government offices are here as well. You are welcome to visit us at any time.

Click here to meet our staff.