175Years

Christ through us

The beginnings of WELS go back to 1850 in Milwaukee. At 175 years old, only the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod can claim a longer history while still remaining intact and retaining its identity. Older Lutheran church bodies in America have splintered or been swallowed up in mergers. While WELS as it is today is the product of a merger—and there have been small groups that have split off because of different controversies—WELS can still trace its roots, history, and identity back 175 years.

By God’s grace, WELS has remained faithful to God’s Word and faithful to its calling of proclaiming the good news of Christ.

The history of WELS is the story of God’s work among his people and through his people in one corner of his Church. There are fascinating stories about people, churches, schools, missions, and other ministries. From small beginnings, the gospel seed has grown so that WELS has become a nationwide and worldwide church body.

These three interactive timelines endeavor to give the highlights of WELS history while also allowing for further exploration. Clicking on a year will give a brief description of a key event. Clicking on links (underlined/bold/highlighted words) will open pages with articles, other timelines, videos, or podcasts.

The interactive timelines are intended for anyone desiring to learn more about God’s work through WELS. It is also hoped that this timeline page will be a resource for Lutheran elementary and high school teachers, as well as pastors teaching WELS history to their congregations.