1850-1860 President Johannes Muehlhaeuser
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 as a baker. While in Switzerland, he joined the young men’s society of the St. Chrischona Pilgrim Mission, which sought to equip tradesmen with training in personal evangelism.
From 1829 to 1832, he traveled throughout central Europe—in Bavaria, Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia—working as a baker and distributing Christian literature. After briefly returning to his native Wuerttemberg, he moved to Westphalia. There, in 1835, he enrolled in the mission school of the Langenberg Society and received a basic education in the Bible, practical theology, and other subjects. Following two years of study, the society commissioned him as a “mission helper” to assist Maximilian Oertel, a university-trained pastoral candidate, in serving German immigrants in New York City.
Muehlhaeuser and Oertel arrived in the United States in October 1837. The missionaries’ plan was to start a church and school, with Oertel handling the pastoral work and Muehlhaeuser serving as a teacher and “practical spiritual advisor.” The school, however, failed to get off the ground. In March 1838, Muehlhaeuser approached the president of the New York Ministerium, who granted him a “limited preaching license” and arranged for him to pastor a German-speaking mission church in Rochester. Later that year, he was formally ordained at the ministerium’s annual meeting. Muehlhaeuser served in upstate New York for ten years and helped to build a thriving congregation.
In 1848, he resigned his call in Rochester in order to answer an appeal from his fellow missionary, Johann Weinmann, to serve German immigrants in Wisconsin. After initially working as a colporteur for the American Tract Society, Muehlhaeuser was invited by local Protestant pastors to organize a new German-speaking congregation in Milwaukee. The church, founded in October 1848, was later named Grace Lutheran Church. In addition to starting a congregation, Muehlhaeuser also took the lead in forming a new synod. In May 1850, he and four other pastors, including Weinmann, met in Granville (near Milwaukee) and established the “German Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Wisconsin.” Muehlhaeuser was elected as the church body’s first president.
His presidency lasted from 1850 to 1860. During this time, the Wisconsin Synod grew from five pastors, eighteen congregations, and less than one thousand communicant members to twenty-four pastors, nearly fifty congregations, and more than five thousand members. As synod president, Muehlhaeuser cultivated relationships with other Lutherans in the United States. The most important partnership was with the Pennsylvania Ministerium, which provided monetary assistance for many Wisconsin Synod pastors. He also maintained ties with various organizations in Germany, particularly the Langenberg Society and the Berlin Mission Society. In his role as president, Muehlhaeuser helped to establish the Wisconsin Synod’s early theological position. Though the church body pledged adherence to the Unaltered Augsburg Confession, it also rejected the “exclusiveness” of the Missouri Synod and other “Old Lutherans.” Because of his formative influence, the Wisconsin Synod was often referred to in its early years as the “Synod of Muehlhaeuser.”
In 1860, Muehlhaeuser stepped down from the synod presidency, citing the challenges of the growing administrative workload. In recognition of his leadership, he was given the honorary title of “Senior” (essentially, “President Emeritus”). In this role, he remained active in synodical affairs. For example, in 1862, he traveled to Germany, where he raised interest and support for the Wisconsin Synod. Once back in the United States, he continued to work tirelessly in service to others. In addition to pastoring Grace Lutheran Church, he also, together with his friend William Passavant, helped to found the Milwaukee Hospital.
In the summer of 1867, Muehlhaeuser, exhausted by his pastoral work, fell ill and never recovered. His last recorded words were spoken to Lina Meyer, a member of his congregation who visited him during his final days. “Lina,” he said, “we will meet again at the throne of God in white robes with palms in our hands.” The first Wisconsin Synod president was called to eternal glory on September 15, 1867.