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St. Paul’s was founded in 1857 as the “first Protestant Mission” of Muskego by 12 pioneer German families. They were served by Pastor C. Kester of St. John’s Lutheran on Forest Home once a month. The next year two acres of land was purchased from Jacob Tess and a wood-frame church was built.
During the pastorate of Pastor Gotthold Thurow (1874-1890) the congregation became Lutheran in doctrine and practice. In 1890, Pastor John Karrer became the first resident pastor and served 2 years. Pastor J. Claus followed him and served 2 years.
In 1894 Pastor L. Mielke began a 15-year pastorate. It was during his ministry that the congregation recognized the need for a larger church building. Initial discussions started in 1900 but were put on hold when the congregation suffered a split, with some members leaving to form Bethlehem Lutheran Church on North Cape Road.
On July 6, 1904, a building committee was formed consisting of Henry Boldt, Louis Pellman, William Ruehle (spelled Rhuele in the minutes), John Stobber, Ernst Bass, Sam Bass, George Martin, Rudoph Holtz, and Pastor Mielke. The congregation contracted with architect C. L. Lesser. Ground was broken in March and the church was dedicated on November 5, 1905. Two of the dedication services were in German and the evening service was in English.
Pastor Gustav Schoewe served from 1909-1925. During his ministry the congregation officially joined the Wisconsin Synod (1911). That same year the congregation began a once-per-month English language service in addition to the regular German services.
During Pastor Ewald Tacke’s ministry (1925-1947) more changes took place. The language change continued with catechism instruction in German being replaced with English language instruction. Initially there was an English service every other Sunday. By 1937 there were English services every Sunday and German twice a month.
During Pastor Tacke’s ministry the congregation struggled with the best solution for Christian education. Twice the congregation voted to start a Christian Day School and twice that congregational vote was overturned in a subsequent meeting. What was approved in 1934 was the excavation of the basement under the church to provide space for Christian education and fellowship. The space that had been there for the coal bin and furnace was enlarged and deepened, using horses pulling plows to drag the soil out the back of the church building. The soil was used as fill on the south side of our cemetery.
Pastor Delton Tills served from 1947-1963. During his ministry, the last regular German service was conducted on Maundy Thursday 1949. In 1950, the congregation dropped its custom of having men sit on the pulpit side of the church and women and children on the lectern side. The congregation also celebrated its centennial with the remodeling and redecorating of the church and the building of the Youth Center (the Centennial Gym, four classrooms, and a fellowship hall).
Pastor Robert Zink first served at St. Paul’s as its first vicar from 1958-1959. He was called to be pastor in 1963 and served until 1997. During his ministry our Lutheran Elementary School began (1968). As the Tess Corners/Muskego area grew, the Lord also blessed St. Paul’s with growth. It soon became apparent that the building that had served the congregation for 70 years would limit further growth. Since enlarging the building was not possible because of the close proximity of the cemetery, the congregation approved the building of our 1978 sanctuary.
The last regular service held in the 1905 building was on June 4, 1978, with Pastor Zink preaching on the theme “The Real Reasons We All Have Loved this Church.” As the congregation left worship that June morning, each person rang the church bell to say thank you to God for all his blessings which they had experienced in this building. After the Decommissioning Service, worshippers are invited to tour the 1905 building. As each person enters, they will join with their brothers and sisters in Christ of 46 years ago and ring the church bell in celebration of God’s grace poured out on St. Paul’s in the in the years since 1978.
During the last 46 years, the congregation has enjoyed an occasional service in the 1905 building. Notable was the 1999 New Year’s Eve Service ringing in the new millennium, Sunday School closing services, several concerts and weddings.
During the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the basement was used as a fellowship hall and youth center. As new facilities like the Grace Room and the Trinity Café became available, the use of the building continued to drop. As a result, the congregation voted in 2022 and again in 2023 to deconstruct the building rather than invest in continued maintenance of a building that is unused.
After the July 21 Decommissioning Service, the congregation will have a couple of months to preserve artifacts. Deconstruction will occur sometime in the fall of 2024.
“The Real Reasons We All Have Loved this Church” – Pastor Zink’s final sermon in the 1905 church follows. Everyone member of the St. Paul’s/The Bridge family has reason to love the 1905 church building. It is in that building that the foundations for our current ministries were laid. So many lives have been and are being touched with the gospel because of the sacrifice and service of God’s people within that building. Even though the building itself will be gone, we will all continue to love this church building. It is part of our shared spiritual heritage for which we together give thanks and praise to God.
As we celebrate the history of ministry conducted in the 1905 church building of St. Paul’s in Muskego, WI, we honor its past with a brief remembrance and reflection.
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Experience fun, Christian education with
St. Paul’s Kids Club on Sunday mornings, September to May.
