Adding to the problem there is if the churches were anywhere near an industrial city they likely no longer exist. One of my Dads cousins tried. The branch of the family was from around Hamburg and records were completely lost in the bombings.
Well, yes, of course, there's that problem.

There's also the off-chance of finding some distant cousin who may be wondering what happened to John Wendelinus Beck after he left Bavaria in the 1850s!

it's what makes this hobby so much fun