Koch Advises Ehrenberg to Relinquish his Office

In light of the lack of support even from his provincial church’s Council of Brethren, Hans Ehrenberg ultimately had no other option than to resign from his pastoral office. In his letter of May 5, 1937 to the Evangelical High Consistory in Berlin with his request to be sent into retirement, he recounted consultations with President Karl Koch, which had brought him to his decision.

A letter the president sent Ehrenberg on the same day reveals how much he had struggled to find his position in the matter of Ehrenberg. Ultimately, Koch advised the pastor in Bochum to resign from his position for the sake of his congregation, even though the accusations made against him did not have any substance. Ehrenberg had actually distanced himself from his original political position, at least by leaving the SPD, and had initially even thoroughly welcomed the national movement’s moments of truth.