Welcome to Our Synod
We are glad you found this site and welcome you to learn about the ministries of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. Perhaps you are looking for a church home. Perhaps you are here to find information as a leader or congregation. Whether you’re here for a specific reason or just curious, you are welcome here.
As the ELCA professes, we are the church that shares a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. Liberated by our faith, we embrace you as a whole person—questions, complexities and all. Join us as we do God’s work in Christ’s name for the sake of the world.
Assembly 2025 registration begins in February
Details for Synod Assembly 2025 continue to fall into place, and since it’s a new year we’re ramping up our efforts this month.
Under the theme “Go, therefore!” more than 550 voting members will gather at the Q Center in St. Charles on Friday and Saturday, May 30-31. This year’s assembly will elect or re-elect synod bishop, vice president and secretary, along with other leaders.
Registration will open Tuesday, Feb. 4. For those wanting to stay overnight, rooms at the Q Center will be made available.
Synod-produced videos are a popular ingredient to each year’s synod assembly. This year we’re asking congregations to make a pitch to us so we might feature your congregation. How is your congregation living out the synod’s mission? (In Jesus name: “Proclaim the gospel. Make disciples. Do justice.”)
Make a 90-second video pitch and send it to us () by January 15. If your story is chosen, professional videographers will visit your church to make a video that will be told at the assembly and given to you for your church’s use.
Who We Are
The Metropolitan Chicago Synod (MCS) is made up of 165 congregations and eight Synodically Authorized Worshiping Communities (SAWC). We are both urban and suburban, with 64,000 baptized members in four counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane and Lake. We are one of 65 synods in the ELCA.
Our mission statement calls us to proclaim the gospel, make disciples and do justice in Jesus’ name. We hope the images and information on these pages will introduce you to our synod—our faith and values, ministries and events. These pages are filled with practical information for congregations and leaders, and will help you become familiar with the synod staff and governance.
Candidacy Process
Are you considering a vocation in the church? The candidacy process–which includes Entrance, Endorsement and Approval–begins by contacting your synod office: or 773-248-0021. Our director of candidacy will visit with you about your vocational discernment and the candidacy process, what forms are necessary and how to complete them. Blessings on your journey!
Rostered ministers gather for boundaries education
Rostered ministers, and members of the synod’s pastoral staff, gathered Nov. 7 at the churchwide office for boundaries education.
This year’s boundaries education was a collaborative effort among the 12 synods of Region 5 as part of a three-year focus on professional ministry standards, gender justice, and racial justice.
Get connected to the MCS by signing up for publications and following us on social media.
As a synod, our work focuses on supporting and partnering with our congregations.
Lay and clergy, find resources that will assist you in the work to which God has called you.
God’s work takes many and various forms. Learn about the ministries of our synod.
Our Stories
Synod youth celebrate being ‘fearfully & wonderfully made’
More than 50 young people and youth ministry leaders gathered at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in West Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 16, for a one-day fall retreat.
Stand for Love Over Hate Sunday
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Waukegan gathered to dedicate their new mural of love and welcome.
South African Delegation Visit
A visit from the MCS’s companion synod, the Central Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA), was a highlight of our June 1 synod assembly and the days which followed.
Metropolitan Chicago Synod Office
Ph: 773-248-0021 | Address: 1420 W. Dickens Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614