A Timeline of Leaders and events

150+ Years of Christianity practiced, led by various Protestant ministers.  

  • ? - 1884 Rev. Jeremiah Slingerland (Presbyterian minister appointed by govt.)

1899 20 Acres of land purchased at the end of Mission Lake. 

  • September 31, 1899 - 1914 Rev. John David Larsen

  • August 1915 - February, 1918 Rev. Otis Lang

  • 1918- 1923 Rev. H.M. Tjernagel

  • 1923-1942 Rev. Otto Boettcher

Nov. 22, 1936 First Service of the MohHeConNuck Congregation at the old mess hall of the Brooks & Ross Lumber Camp. Fourteen people were in attendance and the offering collected was $.84

March 3rd, 1937 Congregation was organized with about ten voting members.

  • [1938-1946] Rev. Louis Dau served the church in Morgan Siding

October 8th, 1939 First Sunday School class was held.

  • 1942-1953 Rev. William J Chellew

January 28th, 1943 Request was made to obtain a parcel of land to build the church on.

July 14th, 1944 Tribe gave assignment to the parcel of land, acquired from the Department of Interior, Office of Indian Affairs.

October 4th, 1945 Congregation was reorganized under the name of Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Wilderness as a religious society of the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod. Signers were Bert Miller, Walter Jacobs, and Edwin Martin.

July 15th, 1947 Tribe approved loan to the church for $1,700.00 to help build the facility.

January 27th, 1947 Timber-Cutting Permit approved to cut “100 standing green pine and hemlock trees” to clear the land to build the church.

May 31st, 1948 Groundbreaking Ceremony.

Sept 3rd, 1950 Corner Stone is laid for Wilderness

  • 1953- April 1955 Rev. Edgar Barg

  • [April - June 1955] Rev. Elmer Larson from St. Paul's at Bowler served as interim at Wilderness, Rev. Wagner of Shawano served Our Savior's and Immanuel congregations.

June 26th, 1955 Dedication Service. Altar, lectern pulpit, and baptismal font were donated by a church in Polar. Pews were donated by churches in Mayville and Wayside. First Church Officers were:

Chairman - Walter Jacobs

Sec. Treasurer - Kenneth Davids

Financial Secretary - Arvid Miller

Elders-Trustees - James Davids, Elmer Davids, Sr., and Steve Putnam

  • June 26th, 1955- February 1958 Rev. Donald Becker

  • [February - July 1958] Rev. Elmer Larson once again supplied interim ministry for Wilderness.

  • July 1958-December 1960 Rev. Toivo Miettinen

  • January 1961-November 1967 Rev. Adelbert Stoehr of St. Paul's at Bowler served as interim.

  • December 1967-July 1968 Rev. Wiesener from St. John's at Tigerton served as vacancy pastor, while Rev. G.M. Krueger from Clintonville usually preached on Sundays.

  • August 1968-January 1973 Rev. Walter Kreger was called to both St. Paul's of Bowler and Wilderness.

  • January-June 1973 Rev. Clifford Kessen of Tigerton served St. Paul's and Wilderness, with Rev. Theodore Krenzke conducting services.

  • [July-August 1973] Rev. Michael Ernst of Bowler served as interim.

  • september 1973-August 1974 Rev. John Ehlke of St. John's at Mattoon served as interim.

Summer 1974 Parsonage is built.

August 4th, 1974 First full-time pastor, Rev. Jonathan Schedler, preached his first service as the Pastor of Wilderness.

  • 1974-1985 Rev. Jonathan Schedler was the first full-time pastor at Wilderness.

July 6th, 1975 20th Anniversary Celebration

  • 1977-1978 Rev. James Christian served his vicarage at Wilderness.

August 11th, 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act is enacted by Congress.

1980 Present altar was purchased.

1981 Affiliation with Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod was terminated. Wilderness became a member of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, AELC.

  • 1982 Rev. Dan Borchers served Wilderness through a Student Summer Service program.

  • 1986-1993 Rev. Joel T. Schlachtenhaufen served as interim.

Wilderness, along with other congregations of the AELC, ALC, and LCA merge to become the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA.

  • October 1999-July 2000 Rev. Jerry Kuehn.

  • 1994- Rev. Stephen Shriner

  • -2015 Rev. Melinda Shriner, wife of Rev. Stephen Shriner, served Wilderness as Assisting Minister with Rev. Stephen, and later as Pastor.

  • August 2017- Present Rev. Paul Andrew Johnson

  • More to come!