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It sounds like a marriage made in heaven.
That’s the best way to describe the match between Vicar Jakob Kroener and the Wisconsin Conference. Jakob, who grew up in Germany and completed his seminary studies there, arrived in Wisconsin in spring 2023 and serves as half-time associate pastor at Peace UCC in Kewaskum and quarter-time chaplain at Cedar Ridge in West Bend. His service in Wisconsin, made possible by the relationship between the Conference and the mission arm of the Evangelical Church of Middle Germany, has cemented his love of ministry. He appreciates the differences he's encountered in the U.S. church.
“Part of that is cultural. Part of that is the different way the church works in America,” Jakob said. One example: “You have a much greater focus here on pastoral visits. In Germany, that’s more of an exception. Here, it’s just part of the pastor’s life. I enjoy that it’s such an integral part of being a pastor in the United States.”
Jakob, 36, was born in East Germany the year before the fall of the Berlin Wall to a Christian father and atheist mother – not an unusual combination in a region that was ruled for decades by an officially atheist communist government. “It’s easier not to be Christian,” he said.
He didn’t start out thinking he would become a parish pastor. “I had an academic interest in the Scriptures and fell in love with ministry when I started doing it,” he said, adding that the path to ministry in Germany is weighted heavily toward academics, not pastoral care.
“When I came here, Eric asked me what my call to ministry is about,” Jakob said, referring to the Rev. Eric Kirkegaard, pastor of Peace UCC. “That’s a question no one ever asked about in Germany.”
It seems he has found his niche.
“What is striking about Jakob is his heart for ministry and how devoted he is to faith and building up the church,” said Associate Conference Minister Jane Anderson. “He is deeply thoughtful and passionate about the church and continues to marvel at the personal and interpersonal relationships he has developed in a short amount of time. And, how personal the church is in its approach to mission and ministry.”
In Germany, the church is supported by the taxpayers, and clergy are employed by the state, creating a very different dynamic from the U.S. church, where congregations depend on members for financial support. “It changes the relationship between the church and the individual,” Jakob said. “(In Germany) you may pay the church tax but may not have a relationship with the congregation.
The Dairy State seems to have hooked him: He is on the path to ordination in the Wisconsin Conference – and looking to extend his visa.
“I like the quirkiness of the Midwest,” Jakob said. “The fish fries and the Old Fashioneds. The easy access to the outdoors. I really enjoy being here.”
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