The Presbytery of Northern Waters covers over 50,000 square miles of lake, forest, mining, and shipping areas across northeastern Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin and the western tip of northern Michigan.

The bounds of our Presbytery consist of:

Michigan:

Gogebic County

Minnesota:

Aitkin, Beltrami, Carlton, Cass, Clearwater, Cook, Hubbard, Itasca, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, Pine-with the exception of the Townships of Chengwatana, Pine City, Rock Creek, Pokegama, and Royalton-St. Louis, and Wadena Counties

Wisconsin:

Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Clark-with the exception of the Village of Abbottsford-Douglas, Dunn, Eau Claire, Iron, Pepin, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, Vilas, and Washburn Counties

Currently we have 5,713 members with 57 congregations.

We hold three stated meetings each year with the latest meeting being the Annual Meeting.

The Presbytery was constituted on January 5, 1977, as approved by the 188th General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, and designated as Presbytery #11. This newly designated Presbytery combined the original Duluth and Chippewa Valley Presbyteries. Since that time, the clergy and elders of these two very diverse Presbyteries have worked hard to serve the church and Christ in peace and unity.

The witness of Presbyterians in Northern Waters is made in an area of woods, forests, clear lakes, streams and skies which experience two seasons—summer and winter.

There is an abundance of institutions of higher and technical education and social and medical services. The area is a major national and world shipping center as well as representing mining, wood products industries, recreation, and tourism. The cosmopolitan makeup of the population among whom the Presbytery finds its ministry is primarily European and Native American.

One of the oldest and most successful Parishes exists within the bounds of Northern Waters: Pioneer Parish which consists of 5 churches. We have also spent considerable time and energy to train lay pastors to serve small rural congregations; this program has been well received.

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