Calvary Ev. Lutheran Church: The "Mundelein Congregation"

Abstract

J. Christina’s church history thesis recounts the brief but faithful existence of Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Libertyville and Mundelein, Illinois. Formed in 1964 by members of St. John’s Libertyville who opposed that congregation’s departure from the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), Calvary began worshiping in a bank meeting room and later moved to Mundelein. Under the part-time pastoral care of Rev. Norman Barenz, the congregation maintained strong worship attendance and doctrinal integrity despite limited growth and resources. The essay details Calvary’s efforts to draft a constitution, gain mission status, and secure property for a permanent chapel—efforts that ultimately proved unsuccessful. Outreach initiatives, including canvassing and advertising, yielded few results. In 1971, with declining membership and the return of St. John’s to confessional alignment via the Federation of Authentic Lutheranism, Calvary voted to disband. Christina’s work preserves the legacy of a small but resolute congregation committed to the truth of God’s Word. —Abstract by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4)