Church of Union in December 1953. Supreme governors (1817–1918) 1817–1840: Frederick William III of Prussia, before supreme governor of the separate Lutheran and Reformed churches since 1797 1840–1861: Frederick William IV of Prussia 1861–1888: William I of Prussia 1888: Frederick III of Prussia 1888–1918: William II of Prussia Praesides of the general synod and the synod of the EKU Before 1922 the praeses only presided over the legislative body of the church, the general synod, thereafter also over the church senate, the new governing body. General synod (1846–1953) 1846: (*1775–1869*) 1847–1875: no general synods held 1875–1907: (*1817–1907*) 1907–1915: ? 1915–1933: (*1856–1943*) 1933–1934: (elected by the illegitimate so-called brown general synod, deposed by State Bishop Ludwig Müller on 26 January) 1934–1945: Friedrich Werner (reappointed by Landgericht Berlin I on 20 November, de facto deposed in 1945) 1945–1950: vacancy 1950–1970: Lothar Kreyssig (titled Praeses of the synod of the EKU since 1953) Synod of the Evangelical Church of the Union (1953–1972) 1950–1970: Lothar Kreyssig 1970–1976: Helmut Waitz (*1910–1993*), since 1972 for the eastern region only Western region (1972–1991) 1972–1976: 1976–1988: Christof Karzig (*1934) 1988–1991: (*1936) Eastern region (1972–1991) 1970–1976: Helmut Waitz, till 1972 for the undivided synod 1976–1982: (*1939*) 1982–1988: Herbert Karpinski (*1932) 1988–1991: Dietrich Affeld (*1928–2007*) Reunited synod (1992–2003) 1992–1994: Dietrich Affeld, later unmasked as Stasi spy IM "Dietrich" 1994–1998: Manfred Kock (*1936) 1998–2003: Nikolaus Schneider Presidents of the Evangelical Supreme Ecclesiastical Council (1850–1951) The Evangelical Supreme Ecclesiastical Council (Evangelischer Oberkirchenrat, EOK) was the leading executive body, and de facto the governing body between 1918 and 1922, and again between 1937 and 1951, however, then during the schism paralleled by the alternative old-Prussian state brethren council. 1850–1863: , administrative jurist (*1803–1863*) 1863–1864: , jurist and politician (*1813–1874*), per pro 1865–1872: , administrative jurist (*1797–1874*) 1872–1873: , theologian (*1806–1873*), per pro 1873–1878: , ecclesiastical lawyer and politician (*1812–1885*) 1878–1891: , jurist (*1826–1893*) 1891–1903: , administrative jurist (*1831–1903*) 1903–1919: , jurist (*1844–1920*) 1919–1924: , jurist (*1855–1927*) 1925–1933: , jurist (*1867–1941*); resigned after the church had been subjected to state control 1933: , theologian (*1879–1953*), per pro; deposed by the Prussian State Commissioner August Jäger 1933–1945: , jurist (*1897–1955*), appointed by August Jäger, later confirmed by the brown general synod; deposed in 1945 1945–1951: Otto Dibelius, bishop, per pro; appointed by the provisional advisory board (Beirat) Chairman of the church senate (1922–1934) 1922–1933: , qua praeses of the general synod 1933–1934: , qua praeses