Esther was the eldest daughter of four children of Adolph von Carlowitz, Saxonian officer and later War Minister.
As head of Protestant youth work, as Hofprediger of the Sophienkirche and as Superintendent of Freiburg, von Kirchbach was heavily involved in the Church.
Together, the von Kirchbachs wrote articles, essays and letters and gave lectures addressing the status of women in various circles.
In 1927 Esther von Kirchbach led the Bundes für eine lebendige Volkskirche ("Society for a Living People's Church") in Dresden.
Together, they continued their literary work and lecturing, despite repeated arrests and Adolph von Carlowitz's dismissal.