Reproduction photograph of the painting depicting C. F. W. Walther, made Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at the International Center of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. LCMS Communications/Erik M. Lunsford

Emigrating from Saxony to Perry County, MO. CFW Walther at age 27 led Lutherans to settle in Perry County, Missouri.

About C.W.F. Walther

Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther (1811-1886), called “Ferdinand” by his family and C.F.W. by the LCMS (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod) today, was born on Oct. 25, 1811, in Saxony, Germany. He was a pastor’s son and went on to become a pastor himself. He was studying theology at the University of Leipzig when, at 18 years old, he nearly died of an illness affecting his lungs. While he recuperated, he read through the works of Martin Luther with a vengeance. It was because of this experience that C.F.W. Walther became committed to confessional Lutheranism: believing and practicing as a Lutheran who holds to all of the writings contained in the 1580 Book of Concord.

By the time Walther was ordained at age 26 in 1837, his confessional Lutheranism was already becoming a bit of a problem. The Saxon government decided to take a cue from the larger and rapidly-growing Prussians, who 20 years earlier had enacted the Prussian Union, which merged the Lutheran and Reformed (Calvinist) churches in order to centralize the state church and consolidate power. Because Lutherans and the Reformed hold very different doctrines on major points like the Lord’s Supper, the result was that the Prussian state forced Lutherans to accommodate Calvinist teachings, which went against Lutheran confessional documents. This in turn led to state-sponsored persecution of so-called “Old Lutherans,” who defied the state by worshipping in secret.

Learn more about C.F.W. Walther in the LCMS The Lutheran Witness website. The above content is from the website.