News & event
Video Library
Living as a Lutheran in East Germany
150 Years of Grace and Fellowship
with the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church (ELFK) of Germany – Part Two
Held on April 28, 2026
Featured video:
In the second part of our anniversary series, we will explore what life was like as a Christian living in communist East Germany. After World War II, Germany was divided into the parliamentary republic of West Germany (known as the BRD) and communist East Germany (known as the DDR). Pastor Schröter will help us better understand what living as a Lutheran was like under communism in the DDR and explain how life changed following the reunification of Germany in 1990.
About the Presenter: Jonas Schröter grew up in a Lutheran family in Grimma, East Germany. He studied at the ELFK Lutheran Theological Seminary in Leipzig and at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, Wis. His ministry experience is diverse, having served as a vicar in Zwickau-Planitz and with the WELS mission in Sofia, Bulgaria. After serving a parish in Chemnitz, Germany, for several years, he now leads the ELFK’s diaspora ministry in Southern Germany, based in Wangen im Allgäu. He and his wife have two children.
Living as a Lutheran in East Germany
History of the ELFK and the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Leipzig
175 Years of Hymnals in WELS
The History of Our Watertown Preparatory Schools
The History of Martin Luther College
2025 Union Cemetery Tour
175th Anniversary Dinner Presentation
175 Years of Change in WELS Worship
WELS Connection – December 2024
History of Lutheran Congregations in Milwaukee from 1875-1900
The History of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary
175th Anniversary of Grace Lutheran Church
The History of Michigan Lutheran Seminary and Annual Meeting
150 Years of The Synodical Conference Service
150 Years of The Synodical Conference Presentation
History of the WELS Historical Institute
40th Anniversary Celebration of the WELS Historical Institute
Historical Institute Annual Meeting and Campus Ministry Presentation
WELS Historical Institute Webinar – Sept. 2, 2020



