North/West Lower Michigan Synod ELCA - Official

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is comprised of about 4.1 million members in 9,638 congregations.

The N/W Lower MI Synod (NWLMS) is one of 65 synods in the ELCA. The synods are organized into nine regions, and the NWLMS is part of Region 6, which includes Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.

About 40,719 baptized Christinas, including 220 pastors and other professional leaders, comprise 120 congregations.

Congregations are grouped into 8 geographic conferences: Bay, Capital, Greater Grand Rapids, Jack Pine, Kalamazoo, Stony Lake, Sunrise, and Traverse. Each conference has a Dean who serves as a liaison between the bishop’s office and the congregations in their area.

Offerings from Congregations to the NWLMS were $1.4 million in 2011. Fifty percent supports the synod and fifty percent supports ELCA Churchwide ministries.