Governance
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
– Romans 13:1
Our Structure, Leadership, and Constitution
The Metropolitan Chicago Synod was formed in 1988, when the ELCA was formed by the union of three separate North American church bodies:
- The American Lutheran Church
- The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
- The Lutheran Church in America
Since then, we have used the following systems of governance:
Synod Constitution
Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. The foundation for our governance, our constitution is available for all congregations to use as a valuable resource. You can view our constitution here→
Synod Assembly
The synod assembly is the highest legislative authority in the synod and meets yearly. Learn about the Synod Assembly here→.
Synod Council
Functioning as the board of directors of the synod, the synod council serves as its interim legislative authority between meetings of the synod assembly. View the members of our Synod Council here→.
Conference Deans
Each of our eight conferences elects a dean. View our conference map and see the current deans here→
Our Synod
Synod Office Holidays and Closed Days
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- New Year’s Day
- Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- July 5 – Day After Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Day after Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas Day
Synod Snapshot
- Located in Northeast Illinois, in Chicago and its surrounding area.
- 173 active congregations
- 4 counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, and Lake
- 8 conferences What is a conference?
- 79,543 baptized members as of 2017
Synod Resources
Congregation Map
Find our more about how our synod is divided and organized using our maps:
ELCA Synod Research and Evaluation
The Research and Evaluation unit of the ELCA collects research on each synod, including the Metropolitan Chicago Synod.
The Tree
The Tree is a powerful symbol for the work of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod.
Metropolitan Chicago Synod Office
Ph: 773-248-0021
Address: 1420 W. Dickens Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614
In Jesus’ name: we proclaim the gospel, make disciples, do justice.
