Augustana Synod
(1860-1962)
Albany Park (Olavus Petri, All Saints)
Augustana
Austin Messiah
Bethany
Bethel
Bethel English
Bethesda
Bethlehem
Calvary
Capernaum (St. Mark's)
Central
Christ the King
Concordia
Ebenezer
Ebenezer (Oakdale)
Elim
Emaus (Jefferson Park)
First Gethsemane
Grace
Gustavus Adolphus
Immanuel
Irving Park
Lebanon (Cragin)
Lebanon (Hegewisch)
Messiah (North Side)
Messiah (South Side)
Nebo
Olivet
St. James
St. John's
St. Luke's
St. Mark's (Capernaum)
St. Matthew
St. Paul's
Salem
Saron
Tabor
Trinity
Zion

Concordia Lutheran Church

  Concordia Lutheran Church
Concordia Lutheran Church, 3855 N. Seeley, was organized on Jan. 29, 1898 as the Salem Evangelical Church, a member of the Augustana Synod. Sharing pastors with Ebenezer Lutheran Church, then known as the Summerdale Church, until 1902, Salem called its first full-time pastor in 1903.

In 1904 the congregation purchased lots on Byron and Seeley and constructed the basement section of their building.

That year the congregation chose to rename itself as the Svenska Evangeliska Lutherska Concordia Kyrkan, or Concordia.

In 1913 the upper structure of the church was completed. Renovations of the sanctuary were conducted in 1921, 1938 and 1964, with an education unit added in 1959.

Pastors
August Edgren 1898-1899
Emanuel Rydberg 1900-1902
Swen Pearson 1903-1910
Martin Hess 1910-1914
Axel Nelson 1914-1917
Linus Herman 1917-1921
Emil Anderson 1921-1935
Carl Lund-Quist 1936-1941
John Oberg 1941-1948
Alvar Gustafson 1948-1956
Emmettt Eklund (interim) 1956-1957
Marvin Chellberg 1957-1961
Earl Bengtson 1961-1980

Original records
Original record books should be found at Concordia Lutheran Church, 3855 N. Seeley Ave., Chicago, IL 60618. The early records have been microfilmed, as Augustana #A34, and are available at the ELCA Archives and at the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. The film includes church minutes from 1917 to 1930 and membership records from 1898 to 1933. The ELCA Archives also has congregation histories, church publications and other materials relating to Concordia.


Sources
Concordia Lutheran Church, "80 Years of Service to the Community," 1978.

Copyright 2002 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.   
Please contact the Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
at archives@elca.org with any comments, questions or corrections.