East Coast centric Lutheran Historical Timeline

 1748—The Ministerium of Pennsylvania founded by Henry Muhlenberg

1789—Frederick Muhlenberg (Henry and Anna’s son) elected first Speaker of the House

1817—Norwegian Pietists, led by Hans Neilson Hauge, elevate Sara Oust as lay preacher

1820—The General Synod founded

1826—The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg founded

1832—Jehu Jones, an enslaved man who purchased his own freedom, was ordained as the first African American Lutheran Pastor

1839—The Franchean Synod formed in support of the abolition of slavery

1847—Die Deutsche Evangelisch-Lutherische Synode von Missouri, Ohio und andern Staaten founded. Eventually becomes the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod

1861—Spruce Run Lutheran hosts the first convention of the Ministerium of New Jersey/New Jersey Synod

1862—The General Synod condemns slavery and supports the Union.

1862—The General Synod of the Evangelical Lutehran Church in the Confederate States of America formed.

June of 1863—Spruce Run Lutheran imprisons Pastor F. A. Strobel and attempts to try him for treason. The Synod intervenes.

1865—Students and faculty leave Gettysburg seminary to found the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia

1888—The Common Service Book published

1892—Lutherans begin missionary work in Japan

1904—Slocum Ferry catches fire with a good portion of Lutherans living on the Lower East Side in attendance; over 1,000 people died that day.

1918—The United Lutheran Church formed, bridging divisions from the Civil War

1922—Lutherans and Anglicans first enter into eucharistic fellowship

1925—Lutherans organize the Universal Christian Confence on Life and Work which leads to the World Council of Churches

1929—Jantine Auguste Haumersen ordained in the Netherlands, the first woman ordained in a Lutheran Church.

1934—Confessing Church formed in opposition to the Nazi seizure of the German Church.

1945—Dietrich Bonhoeffer martyred by Adolf Hitler

1847—The Founding of the Lutheran World Federation

1958—Service Book and Hymnal Published

1960—The American Lutheran Church formed

1962—The Lutheran Church in America formed

1970—Barbara Andrews and Elizabeth Platz became first American Lutheran women ordained.

1974—The LCMS suspends the Seminary President of Concordia, which leads to a walk out by students. Eventually 200 LCMS churches leave and form the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches.

1977—Lutherans declares resisting apartheid a matter of status confessionis

1978—The Lutheran Book of Worship published

1978—Herluf M. Jensen elected Bishop of the New Jersey Synod

1988—ELCA founded as a merger of the LCA, ALC, and AELC

1989—Roy Riley elected Bishop of the New Jersey Synod

1989—100s of Lutherans gather at St. Nicholas in Leipzig for prayer, they are beaten by police. 70,000 people return a month later, 120,000 the next week, 320,000 the next week. The head of East German resigns the next week, the berlin wall falls

1999—Lutherans and Catholics sign the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification

2006—Evangelical Lutheran Worship published

2013—Tracie Bartholomew elected Bishop of the New Jersey Synod

2017—500^th Anniversary of Luther posting the 95 theses

2017—Gettysburg and Philadelphia Seminaries merge, United Lutheran Seminary founded

2020—All Creation Sings published

2025—Christa Compton elected Bishop of the New Jersey Synod