The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LC-MS) is organized into 35 districts, 33 of which are defined along geographic lines and two are recognized and continued as non-geographical, the English and the SELC districts (the results of long ago mergers).
In some districts the district president occupies a full-time position, while in others he continues to serve as pastor in a local congregation or specialized ministry (hospitals, military chaplains, colleges / universities, social services agencies, etc.)
From the time of its founding in 1847, for eight years until 1854, the LC-MS held annual synod-wide conventions.
This would provide for increasing cooperation between congregations and ministers / pastors of a smaller regional geography grouping.
[1] These original four districts were further divided over the years and decades in the 170 years since of having lower districts in Missouri Synod history, to create the growth resulting in the current 33 geographical and 2 mon-geographical districts now functioning along with their individual congregations and various ministries in the day-to-day life for 177 years of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in North America.