A. Grabau and members of his congregation in Erfurt, along with other congregations, to escape the forced union of Lutheran and Reformed churches in Prussia by immigrating to New York City, Albany, and Buffalo, New York, and to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1839.
This was exacerbated by the Missouri Synod's practice of providing spiritual care to individuals and groups that disagreed with him.
[2] The latter body, after further mergers, became part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1988.
In 1850, the synod established Martin Luther College and Seminary in Buffalo, which continued in operation until the formation of the ALC.
[2] In 1929, just before its merger into the ALC, the Buffalo Synod had 45 pastors, 54 congregations, and 7,981 members.