Church Blog
The amalgamation
“From an economic perspective we find the resolution feasible; from the perspective of prudent stewardship of the Lord’s resources loaned to us, we find the resolution compelling.”—1993 Book of Reports and Memorials When the Wisconsin Synod merged with Minnesota and Michigan in 1917, it operated a seminary in Wauwatosa, Wis.; a college and prep school in Watertown, Wis.; a college and prep school in New Ulm, Minn.; and a prep school in Saginaw, Mich. In 1927 the synod opened another…
“Every state by ’78”
“Our Wisconsin Synod is not a large church body, but it is large enough . . . to do more and greater things in the kingdom of God than it has done in the past.”—Rev. Carleton Toppe, president of Northwestern College When WELS ended fellowship with the Missouri Synod in 1961, many felt it would mark the end of the synod. WELS would take its pure doctrine and hide in its mostly Midwest corner. Instead, God in his grace blessed…
The break with Missouri
“The results could have been tragic. . . . That they were not was because the Lord of the church once again did all things well.”—Prof. Edward Fredrich in The Wisconsin Synod Lutherans about the break with the Missouri Synod In 1869 the Wisconsin and Missouri Synods officially declared fellowship, beginning a fruitful relationship that lasted more than 90 years. However, problems began in 1938 when the Missouri Synod resolved that its 1932 confessional declaration, “Brief Statement,” together with the…
The WELS Forty-Niners
“By sheer grace and God’s guidance, the ‘WELS Forty-Niners’ struck rich ‘pay dirt’ in the ‘mother lode’ of Christian missions in Central Africa.”—Edgar Hoenecke, a member of the “WELS Forty-Niners” mission exploratory team to Africa As the Great Depression began, the Wisconsin Synod was saddled with a crippling debt of nearly $750,000. Building projects in New Ulm and Mobridge and years of deficit spending coupled with the depressed economy led to a debt that hindered mission work and left seminary…
Dedication of the seminary
“It is now a thing of the past, the dedication of our new seminary on Synod Sunday, August 18, but it will be remembered in the years to come by all who were privileged to take part in the celebration.”—John Brenner, chairman of the seminary building committee, in the Sept. 1, 1929, edition of The Northwestern Lutheran On Sunday, Aug. 18, 1929, an estimated 15,000 people, perhaps the largest crowd in Wisconsin Synod history, gathered in Thiensville (now Mequon) to…
The Protes’tant Controversy
“Prize the brotherhood; prize the brotherhood.”—Prof. J. P. Meyer, who served at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary for 44 years, about the Protes’tant Controversy. Because the church is made up of sinners living in a sinful world, controversies and conflicts infect the church. Such was the case with what has come to be known as the Protes’tant Controversy that broke out in the Wisconsin Synod in the mid-1920s. The Roaring Twenties were a tumultuous time in the nation. Immorality was flaunted. Many…
The Apache mission
“This is the only church I’ve put my mark on. You listen to him when he speaks from the Book.”—Chief Alchesay of the White Mountain Apaches The Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan synods that were federated in 1892 desired to do foreign mission work together. An exploratory team discovered the Apache reservations in Arizona as a place where no other church was operating. The Apache tribes had only been forcibly settled on the reservations in 1886. In October 1893, two…
Federation with Minnesota and Michigan
“We have tendered [this seminary] to the Joint Synod and thereby demonstrated, with our joyful and willing sacrifice, how urgent it is for us to help our fellow believers and further the wonderful work of building God’s kingdom.”—President Philipp von Rohr at the dedication of the new pastoral-training seminary in Wauwatosa in 1893. In the mid-1800s it seemed as if every state in the growing country had its own Lutheran synod. Founding Pastor Johannes Muehlhaeuser had come from the New…