St. Paul History: The Early Years

Background

The 1800's were a time of tremendous change in America. From 1830 forward, a great wave of German immigrants swept into the Midwest. Europeans heard reports from early pioneers of a new land filled with unlimited potential. Boatloads of excited Germans left their homeland, brimming with hope and confidence for a better life in the American Midwest. Between 1840-50 and 1881-84 the arrival of newcomers was at its pinnacle. Many of these settlers arrived in the area we know as Wisconsin today. While Washington County first experienced pioneers of Irish heritage, they soon were supplanted by Germans drawn to the area's rich farmland

The "Roots" of St. Paul Congregation

Mission societies in Europe, aware of the large number of new people flocking to America, were concerned that church life would remain a vital component of the settlers' lives. The mission societies of Germany funded numerous pastors who served in Wisconsin and provided help to new churches as they were founded. By the middle of the 1800's a number of congregations had become well-established in the fast-growing city of Milwaukee.

Salem congregation (Granville, Milwaukee northwest), one of those early congregations, was served for a time by a man named Paul Meiss. Meiss, a cobbler by trade, had traveled to Wisconsin on his own from Germany. Interested in the work of the Lord, he had begun to prepare for the holy ministry in Milwaukee. Before his studies were completed, however, the congregation at Granville asked him to become their pastor. Meiss' work produced many apparent blessings, but soon the church leaders (even Meiss himself) agreed that having an uncertified pastor was a mistake. The congregation thereupon called Pastor W. Wrede, a man certified by the Langenberg Mission Society of Germany.

The change at Salem found Meiss moving to a new area, Schleisingerville (Slinger) in 1849. Meiss replaced a pastor named Beckel who had been serving a gathering of people in the village. Pastor Beckel, although formally trained, was far from concerned about being accurate when it came to the doctrines of holy Scripture. Under his leadership, or perhaps even predating him, the congregation at Schleisingerville was set up for great heartache. The congregation was home to nearly equal numbers of Lutheran and Reformed people. The differences in Bible teaching between the two groups would be ignored for years. But the day could come when the differences would no longer be tolerated and the result was great strife and sadness.

On May 26, 1850 the Wisconsin Synod met for the first time at Salem (Granville). The constituting meeting of the synod was attended by seven pastors. One of the pastors in attendance on that momentous day was Paul Meiss.

It seems, at first, Schleisingerville served as a hub for church expansion in Washington, Ozaukee and Dodge counties. Meiss, having begun mission work in West Bend, relocated to West Bend sometime in 1850. From that locale he served six congregations. Sadly, Meiss fell into disrepute. The Synod was prepared to oust him when it met in 1851. The minutes record that while he was not in attendance at that meeting, a harsh letter announcing his withdrawal was read.

In 1850 the Synod placed a ministerial candidate (unordained) named F.T. Hennicke in Schleisingerville. Initially trained under a Missouri Synod pastor in Illinois, neighboring Wisconsin Synod pastors helped to complete his training. The following year he was ordained and answered a Call to serve at St. Matthew's in Niles, IL.

Many different pastors served in Schleisingerville over the ensuing years. While pastors changed frequently, the congregation did not. Slinger remained a locale where people of different beliefs cooperated because they did not feel strong enough to maintain separate churches. This idea had come across the ocean from Prussia (Prussian Union) and had become deeply entrenched.

As the years passed the young Wisconsin Synod quickly grew not only in numbers, but also in doctrinal fortitude. Due to leaders grounded firmly in the Bible's teachings and also the urging of the Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Synod became more and more devoted to the Lutheran Confessions theologically and in practice. Such was the climate in 1873, the founding year of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.

A "Detailed Look" at Our Beginnings

The actual founding of the Union (Lutheran/Reformed) congregation took place under Pastor Beckel (a Lutheran pastor) in 1848. The original church site was purchased for the sum of $1 from Julius Schlesinger and a log church building was erected on the hilltop site. In 1853, while the congregation was served by Pastor Johannes Sauer the official papers marking the congregation's incorporation as "St. John's United Evangelical Lutheran Church" were filed in West Bend.

The history of the congregation in Schleisingerville closely parallels the history of the synod, in its growing adherence to the Scripture and its deepening embrace of the Lutheran Confessions. The doctrinal disharmony within the Union congregation is apparent as far back as 1854. The Wisconsin Synod was presented with complaints from the Reformed members of St. John's concerning Pastor Sauer's introduction of "Lutheran Ceremonies." The complaints were in reality complaints regarding Holy Communion. The Lutheran pastor, with his Lutheran understanding of the Sacrament, offended members who saw the Lord's Supper not as a Sacrament but as a ceremony, who believed not in the real presence but in mere representation of Christ's body and blood. The response of the Synod was to recommend serving communion in a manner that would not offend either a Lutheran or Reformed member of the congregation. The unsteady doctrinal drumbeat of the young Wisconsin Synod is apparent and did nothing to resolve the tension.

During the tenure of Pastor Albert Opitz (1863-1867) a new church building was erected. This structure was crafted by members of the congregation. How ironic that in 1924 at the 75th anniversary of that building (now St. John's United Church of Christ) these words of those who built that place of worship were included in the anniversary booklet:

Soon was erected a solid building with its three-foot thick walls as a true fortress and the village surrounding it lent a truly evangelical character. Henceforth it should signify: God's Word and Luther's teaching shall not cease, now or ever. How joyfully must the powerful hymn of Luther, A Mighty Fortress is our God, have rung from hill to valley.

When Pastor Opitz left to serve Peace, Hartford, to a certain extent the congregation lost the direct influence of the Wisconsin Synod. J.H. Keitel (1867-71), was not a member of the Wisconsin Synod. Although details are sketchy, it seems the congregation became aware Mr. Keitel wanted to become a pastor and engaged his services without consulting the Synod. In 1869, the newly penned constitution of the congregation reveals a distinct turn from Lutheranism toward Reformed doctrine. Pastor Keitel protested against the changes and resigned in 1871. After a brief vacancy, Pastor G. Hirtz served. Again, Pastor Hirtz was not a pastor in the Wisconsin Synod. It was during the short one-year ministry of Pastor Hirtz that the division that had always existed within the Union congregation finally erupted.