Strangers to Sisters - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library: Essays

group in the same neighborhood. This outreach effort was also meeting with success - a
great blessing to the fledgling synod who had suffered such great losses for their
confessional stand.
According to the established practice of the Synodical Conference, whatever area
in which a Synod had been historically working was that Synod’s area of operation. If a
different synod wanted to work in that area, then they were to contact the appropriate
mission board and ask permission. This is not to say that permission would not be
granted, but it was to make sure that a new synod entering the area would not be seen of
as an opposition church but a sister congregation. The practice was developed to prevent
just such turf wars.
Yet, Pastor Thurow had neglected the standard operating procedure. Whatever
the reason behind Thurow’s neglect to inform the ELS was, the Norwegians felt slighted.
On September 28 th , 1925, the ELS pastors in the Madison area made the Western
Wisconsin District aware that Thurow had violated proper protocol in initiating the east
side canvass. The Norwegians requested that before any further action was taken, there
be a joint meeting between the Western Wisconsin Mission Board and Norwegian Synod.
What had been a slighting turned into a real wound in short order. Instead of
securing a meeting with their ELS brethren, the District Mission Board (who by this time
had taken over the project) pushed ahead with their plans. By October, a congregation
had been organized. By November, they had called their first pastor, Gervasius Fischer.
By December 6 th , they were conducting their first services, acquired land and by
February of 1926, would have their first chapel. The Wisconsin Synod had thrown their
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