of the illegitimate so-called brown general synod, deposed by State Bishop Ludwig Müller on 26 January Parallel governing bodies during the Nazi reign Due to the interference of the Nazi regime in the internal affairs of the old-Prussian church favorites of the regime could usurp governing positions, and lost them again when dropping into disgrace. The protagonists of the confessing old-Prussian church declared the schism to be matter of fact and formed their own governing bodies on 29 May 1934, called the State Brethren Council (Landesbruderrat) of the Evangelical Church of the Old-Prussian Union. State Brethren Council (1934–1949) 1934–1936: (*1876–1951*), chairman titled praeses 1936–1939?: Friedrich (Fritz) Müller (*1889–1942*, poisoned), chairman 1939?–1949: The brethren council was a collegiate body Chairman of the church senate (1934–1951) 1934–1945: Friedrich Werner, reappointed by verdict of the Landgericht Berlin I on 20 November, de facto deposed in 1945 1945–1951: vacancy, church senate then renamed to Council of the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union State Bishop On 4 August 1933 Ludwig Müller declared himself old-Prussian State Bishop (Landesbischof), after the State Commissioner for the Prussian ecclesiastical affairs, August Jäger, had conveyed him per pro its leadership. The German Christians confirmed him with their majority in the illegitimate brown general synod on 5 September 1933, by changing the church order only creating the function of state bishop. By creating the state ecclesiastical committee (Landeskirchenausschuss) for the old-Prussian church Müller lost all his governing competences, but retained the title. 1933–1935(1945): Ludwig Müller; deposed on 3 October 1935 by the old-Prussian state ecclesiastical committee President of the state ecclesiastical committee for the old-Prussian Church 1935–1937: (*1864–1945*), resigned since overcoming the schism turned impossible 1937–1945: governance de facto wielded by Friedrich Werner Council of the Evangelical Church of the (old-Prussian) Union The new church order of 1 August 1951, accounting for the transformation of the integrated old-Prussian church into an umbrella, replaced the vacant church senate by the Council of the Evangelical Church of the old-Prussian Union (Rat der Evangelischen Kirche der altpreußischen Union). Also the followers of the State Brethren Council (Landesbruderrat) could be reintegrated into the church. In December 1953 the term old-Prussian was skipped from the names of the church (since: Evangelische Kirche der Union, EKU) and its bodies. The praeses of the general synod was a member of the council, but only spiritual leaders of one of its member churches were elected chairpersons with the