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. . . . 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

1828
United Rhine Mission Society formed in Germany

1837
German mission society sends John Muehlhaeuser to serve in North America

1848
Muehlhaeuser moves from New York to Wisconsin

1850
First meeting of the new Wisconsin Synod at Granville church with Muehlhaeuser as president

1858
Synod numbers: 17 pastors
16 parish schools
7 Sunday schools
3 teachers

1860
John Bading becomes new synod president

1865
Seminary building dedicated in Watertown
Synod periodical Gemeinde-Blatt appears

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.