[4] After studying at the Basel Mission Society, Herlitz was ordained on 17 August 1862,[1] and in January 1863[5] was the first of their graduates to arrive in Australia.

[11] Herlitz acted as pastor of the St Pauls congregation at Germantown, ministering from the school for five years.

[10] In February 1867, Matthias Goethe requested six months' leave from his role as pastor of the Lutheran Trinity Church in East Melbourne.

[12] As a temporary replacement, Herlitz was invited to conduct two services a month at the Trinity Church and to edit Der Australische Christenbote (The Australian Christian Messenger).

[14] Due to poor health, Herlitz resigned on 14 June 1914 after 46 years as pastor of the Trinity Church.

[8][15] In addition to his work as pastor of the Trinity Church, Herlitz ministered several outlying congregations and was editor of the monthly Der Australische Christenbote from 1867 to 1910.

[17] Like many pastors from the Basel Mission Society, Herlitz regarded all protestant denominations as having a common goal of following God's teachings.