1850-1860 WELS President Johannes Muehlhaeuser

1850-1860 President Johannes Muehlhaeuser

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Johannes Muehlhaeuser was born in the German state of Wuerttemberg, probably on August 9, 1804. (This is the date on his gravestone; however, some sources list his birthyear as 1803.) As a young man, he relocated to Switzerland, where he worked…
1860-1864 and 1867-1889 WELS President John Bading

1860-64 & 1867-89 President John Bading

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Johann (John) F. Bading was born on November 24, 1824, in Rixdorf near Berlin, Germany. As a teenager walking on Berlin’s Sebastian Street, he saw above a house door the Mark 16:15 motto "Preach the gospel to all creation." It triggered the…
1864-1865 WELS President Gottlieb Reim

1864-1865 President Gottlieb Reim

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Gottlieb Reim was born on November 4, 1828 in Obertürkheim, Württemberg to Hieronymus Jakob and Barbara Reim. He initially trained to work as a cobbler, but at the age of 22, he enrolled in the Basel Mission School—completing his studies…
1865-1867 WELS President Wilhelm Streissguth

1865-1867 President Wilhelm Streissguth

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Wilhelm (William) Streissguth was born at Lahr, grand duchy of Baden, on April 10, 1827. He pursued his studies at Lahr and Ludwigsburg, and finally, in the Mission Institute and the University of Basel. He was ordained into the holy ministry…
1889-1908 WELS President Philip von Rohr

1889-1908 President Philip von Rohr

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Philip von Rohr was born in Buffalo, New York, on February 13, 1843, to recent immigrants from Prussia. His father, Heinrich von Rohr, was a former captain in the Prussian royal guards. Yet, he had resigned his commission due to his strong…
WELS Professor Armin J. Panning

Professor Armin J. Panning

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Armin J. Panning (1931-2019) Seminary President (1985-1996)   By Paul T. Prange   Armin John Panning was a man who knew how things worked. The son of a farmer, William Panning, and Frieda nee Bode, it wasn’t long…
WELS Professor Armin Schuetze

Professor Armin Schuetze

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Armin W. Schuetze (1917-2020) Seminary President (1978-1985)   By Joel D. Otto   Armin William Schuetze has seen and experienced profound changes during his life – in the world, in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran…
1908-1933 WELS President Gustav E. Bergemann

1908-1933 President Gustav E. Bergemann

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Gustave Ernst Bergemann was born August 9, 1862, to Ludwig Bergemann and Wilhemine nee Schulz of Hustisford, Wisconsin. After being instructed and confirmed by Pastor Philip Koehler, he entered Northwestern College on November 14, 1879. In…
Professor Carl Lawrenz

Professor Carl Lawrenz

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Carl J. Lawrenz (1908-1989) Seminary President (1957-1978)   By John C. Lawrenz   My father, Carl John Lawrenz, served as president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary from 1957-1978 and on its faculty from 1944-1982. These…
Professor Edmund ReimReim

Professor Edmund Reim

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Edmund Reim (1892-1969) Seminary President (1953-1957)   By Richard D. Balge   When Adolph Reim graduated from the seminary, he and a classmate volunteered to serve as instructors at the recently founded Dr. Martin Luther…
Professor John P. Meyer

Professor John P. Meyer

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Johann Peter Carl Meyer (1873-1948) Seminary President (1937-1953)   By John M. Brenner   Few men have had as much impact on the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) as Professor John Meyer. He served in the public…
WELS Professor John Schaller

Professor John Schaller

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John Schaller (1859-1920) Seminary Director (1908-1920) By Jeremiah J. Gumm   The story of Johannes Schaller begins on a cold December day in the parsonage of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Louis, where his father, Gottlieb…
Professor August Pieper

Professor August Pieper

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August Pieper (1857-1946) Seminary Director (1929-1937)   By Thomas J. Jeske   Who was August Otto Wilhelm Pieper? His people came from the northern rim of Europe, out of a small village named Karwitz, seven miles from…
WELS Professor John Philipp Koehler

Professor John Ph. Koehler

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John Philipp Koehler (1859-1951) Seminary Director (1920-1929)   By Peter M. Prange   John Philipp Julius Koehler was born at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on January 17, 1859, to Pastor Christian Philipp and Mrs. Apollonia…
WELS Professor Eduard Moldehnke

Professor Eduard Moldehnke

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Eduard Moldehnke (1836-1904) Seminary Director (1863-1866) By James F. Korthals   During the first decade of its existence (1850-1860) the Wisconsin Synod struggled to find solutions to a number of problems. At the top of…
Professor Adolf Hoenecke

Professor Adolf Hoenecke

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Adolf Hoenecke Director, 1866-1870, 1878-1908   By James L. Langebartels   Gustav Adolf Felix Theodor Hoenecke was born in Brandenburg on February 25, 1835, to Wilhelm and Amalie (nee Liebchen) Hoenecke. His father…
2007-present WELS President Mark G. Schroeder

Pastor E. Edgar Guenther

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1933-1953 WELS President John Brenner

1933-1953 President John Brenner

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John William Otto Brenner was born on July 11, 1874, at Hustisford, Wisconsin, the son of teacher Karl F.G. Brenner and his wife Barbara, nee Werner. He received his elementary school education at St. Peter’s Lutheran School in Fond du Lac,…
WELS Professor Paul Ottow Wendlend

Professor Paul Otto Wendland

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Paul Otto Wendland (1953-present) Seminary President (2004-2019)    By John M. Brenner   Some men have experience in only one form of the public ministry; others have served in various ways. President Wendland fell…
1953-1979 WELS President Oscar J. Naumann

1953-1979 President Oscar J. Naumann

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Oscar J. Naumann on June 24, 1909, was born in Wood Lake, Minnesota to Rev. Justus and Maria (nee Scherf) Naumann. When Oscar was 10 years old, his father died unexpectedly at the age of 51. The eight Naumann children (Oscar was #7) were raised…
1979-1993 WELS President Carl Mischke

1979-1993 President Carl Mischke

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Carl Herbert Mischke was a “son of the soil” from South Dakota and served the Lord faithfully as the ninth president of WELS. Pastor Mischke was born on October 27, 1922, in Hazel, South Dakota. On July 6, 1947, he was united in marriage…
1993-2007 WELS President Karl R. Gurgel

1993-2007 President Karl R. Gurgel

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Karl R. Gurgel the oldest of five children, was born on February 24, 1942. His father was long-time Wisconsin Synod pastor, Karl A. Gurgel who served the synod as chairman of the synod’s Mission Board before it was divided into the Board…
2007-present WELS President Mark G. Schroeder

2007-present President Mark G. Schroeder

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Mark G. Schroeder was born on September 5, 1954, the youngest of eight children, all of whom became pastors or teachers. The son of Professor Erwin M. Schroeder and Selma nee Diersen, President Schroeder grew up on the Watertown campus where…