History of LCMS

 On April 26th, 1847, 12 pastors representing 15 congregations signed a constitution that established "The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States."  They were men of faith and conviction.  Some were German immigrants who had come to the United States to preserve their Lutheran confession of the faith, free from government intervention.  They were stirred for mission, especially to reach German immigrants, and, for some, the desire to bring the Gospel to Native Americans.  Today, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (the name was shortened on the 100th anniversary) counts 2.6 millions members in 6,145 congregations.  The original constitution was written in German (and German continued to prevail in worship and writing until World War 1).  While English dominates now, on any given Sunday, there may be worship in at least 20 different languages--including Spanish, Hmong, Eritrean, Russian, Finnish, Slovak, Chinese, and even German.
 
Local German Lutherans began worship and outreach in the Willow Springs area in 1839.  The German farmers began a congregation and the Trinity Lutheran Church and School was officially formed in 1865.