Our History

"As we celebrate [our] past history, we note how the Lord has gathered us together and guided us. We may be a small gathering of believers by the world's standards. Even in comparison with other church bodies, we are small—only a little over 410,000 souls. Yet we share a commitment to be faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. God gathered us to work together and blessed the faithful efforts of all those who have gone before us. We remain together to work as brothers and sisters in Christ and to proclaim the wonders of God's grace to all the world" (Together in Christ: A History of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, p. 54).

TIMELINE

1849
Johannes Muehlhaeuser (president until 1860), William Wrede, John Weinmann, and Paul Meiss meet to discuss organizing a synod in Wisconsin

1850
Original Wisconsin Synod, known as "The German Evangelical Ministerium of Wisconsin," forms at Granville, WI.

1860
John Bading elected president
Michigan Synod forms; Minnesota Synod organized

1863
Gottlieb Rein, synod vice-president, serves as president while Bading travels to Europe seminary opened with one student

1864
Synod officially incorporated
Gottlieb Rein elected president

1865
William Streissguth elected president
Watertown school dedicated in the fall
Das Gemeinde-Blatt, original synod publication started in September

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The word Lutheran in our synod's name, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, is not merely a word. We call ourselves Lutheran because it clearly identifies what we believe and describes how we carry out the work that God has entrusted to his church on earth.

WHAT THE BIBLE AND LUTHERANS TEACH

Nearly 500 years ago, the Christian church was corrupted by many false teachings. A man named Martin Luther led people back to the teachings of the Bible. His work, and that of his friends, is called the Reformation.