What brought the German Reformed people to American shores? 

They were refugees from war, faced poverty and religious persecution.  The 30 years war made Germany a battleground of nations involving plunder, rape and death.  Business was gone, schools and churches were without leaders, cities and villages in ashes and farms buried in neglect.   Their motives were political, religious, social and economic.

Pennsylvania.  William Penn, a Quaker, urged German immigrants to settle there.  There was tolerance there; laws guaranteed civil liberty, religious freedom and economic opportunity without discrimination

What brought the German Evangelicals to North America?  Where did they settle and why?

After the Napoleonic Wars, their situation included starvation, destruction, heavy taxation and very little sense of national identity.  Lutheran and Reformed churches used different hymnals, catechisms and varied forms of worship and church leaders argued over doctrines of salvation.  They settled in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

Falker Swamp    

Boehm conducted worship and served communion here; First Reformed congregation in Pennsylvania and still holds regular services and is the oldest Reformed congregation in America.

Der Friedensbote

Published in 1850-1958, this was a German Evangelical publication.  It is “The Messenger of Peace”

The Kirchen-Ordnung

Femme Osage

About 50 miles outside St. Louis, 1833, founded by Hermann Garlichs; Oldest Evangelical Church in Missouri; An Osage woman was found dead in a creek, which gave the area its name.  

The Coetus of 1747 

Michael Schlatter established the Coetus of the Reformed Ministerium of the Congregations in Pennsylvania.  This provided an organizational structure  The Coetus was like a synod.

The Kirchenverein 

Also known as “Church Society,” this was a movement developed out of German Evangelical church; Evangelical Church Society of the West founded 1840 at Gravois Settlement.  Autonomy of congregation, but cooperation wholeheartedly with benevolent organizations to advance the kingdom of God; move toward independence from the Mother Church in Germany; persecuted by rationalists

Central Seminary

Founded in Dayton, OH by John Bomberger (Old Reformed) along with Ursinus College.  Central united with Eden later.  James I Good was a professor at Central Seminary and his rare book collection is part of our archives.

Basel and Barmen

Pietists founded the Basel Mission in Switzerland (1815) and the Barmen Society of the Rhine (1826) in order to help counter the rising tide of rationalism that threatened both the Lutheran and Reformed churches even before the Evangelical Church was formed.  The Basel and Barmen Societies began to send missionaries to the new world about the same time Femme Osage was organized.

Zion Reformed Church in Allentown

The Evangelical Catechism

What are the six defining characteristics of the Evangelical Tradition?

1.Pietism – the heart is more important than the head

2.  Inherently ecumenical – but also ethnically homogenous

3.  Irenic Spirit – peacable, a reluctance to engage in conflict

4.  Mission Oriented – discipleship is a life of service to others (health and welfare institutions)

5.  A theological generative tradition

6.  The Bible is central

Be able to tell the details of the founding of Eden Seminary and its development.

There were never enough German trained pastors, but congregations wanted educated clergy.  A conference at ST. Peter’s made a resolution to establish a seminary in Marthasville (near Femme Osage) was adopted.  Marthasville opened in 1850.  Marthasville was central to the ESNA.  Adolph Baltzer was the first President.  Location moved to St. Charles Rock Road changed name to Eden, which was the train station nearest.  Samuel D. Press (alum) moved location to Webster Groves in 1924.

The Rationalists 

A movement that relied on reason as the basis for truth.  Rationalists had little relationship with the church or its clerics.  Religion was a matter of science and reason.

The Old Lutherans

Some Lutherans claimed the new book of worship corrupted their liturgy.  They became known as “Old Lutherans.”  In 1836, 7 Lutheran pastors were imprisoned, accused of insubordination to the government.  These Saxon Lutherans were hailed as martyrs, thus a movement began which formed the nucleus of what became the Missouri Synod Lutheran denomination when they arrived in STL in 1839.

The Pietists 

Religious movement in late 1700s, giving new life and more conciliatory spirit to German Christianity; Spener, Francke, Zinzendorf convinced many Germans that faith was more than adherence to doctrine; Pietism was characterized by a warm spirit, readiness to serve others, Irenic attitude toward all, commitment to church union, mission and social action.

Louis Nollau helped organized the evangelical Church Society of the West (St. John’s

 Evangelical UCC

Heidelberg Catechism

Falkner Swamp congregation and John Philip Boehm

The German Reformed denomination formed

The Evangelical Church of the Union (EKU) is founded in Prussia – German Lutheran and German Reformed merged by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III

First Seminary of the German Reformed Church founded in Carlisle, PA, moved to York 1829, moved to Mercersburg 1837, moved to become Lancaster Theological Seminary 1853

Basel Missionaries, Joseph Rieger and George Wall arrive in NYC

The German Evangelical Synod of North America is formed

Evangelical and Reformed Churches merger

Talk about the Mercersburg/Ursinus conflict:  Its leaders, the issues, the Anxious Bench.

John Williamson Nevin – the Anxious Bench short tract to protest techniques of revivalism – joined forces with Phillip Schaff to form “Mercersburg Theology” which fostered a renewed connection to the Heidelberg Catechism and developed a high altar liturgy; John Bomberger (Old Reformed/Zwingli) formed Ursinus College and Central Theological Seminary – favored pulpit centered liturgy, free prayer and minimum of ceremony, congregational autonomy and consistory control of church order.  Mercersburg focused on Calvin, Eucharistic doctrine of the real spitirual presence of Christ in the meal; altar-centered liturgy with responses, chants, forms of church year, formal garb for minister and choir.  Authority of synod and ordained minister over local church order.

What was really unique about the E&R Merger?

 “The decision to unite (1^st) and then to work out a constitution and other structure for implementation, surely an act of Christian obedience and faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to sustain trust in one another.”  UCC History and Program 40

William Binner

John Williamson Nevin 

the Anxious Bench short tract to protest techniques of revivalism – joined forces with Phillip Schaff to form “Mercersburg Theology” which fostered a renewed connection to the Heidelberg Catechism and developed a high altar liturgy – Calvin follower

Hermann Garlichs 

purchased a farm on Femme Osage creek, 50 mi from STL.  Garlichs failed as a farmer, but was persuaded to become the pastor for his neighbors and for a group of Germans near St. Charles.  He was not ordained but was highly educated:  he had attended four universities, spoke 7 languages, loved music and had a knowledge of medicine.  In 1833, he formed the Femme Osage Church, the oldest Evangelical Church in Missouri

Michael Schlatter

Friedrich Willhelm, III

1817 The Evangelical Church of the Union (EKU) is founded in Prussia – German Lutheran and German Reformed merged by Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III

John Philip Boehm

Schoolmaster who prevailed to hold services, baptize children and serve communion.  The Dutch Reformed Church later ordained him.

Friedrich Schmid

Basel and Barmen Societies sent missionaries to new world; Friedrich Schmid was sent in 1833 to Ann Arbor, MI.  About 5,000 Germans were there.  During his 40 years ministry, he established 20 congregations.  He was the 1^st of 158 missionaries trained at Basel.

James I Good

James I Good was a professor at Central Seminary and his rare book collection is part of our archives. Head of the Old Reformed Movement.  President of Reformed Synod.

Louis Nollau

Oct 14, 1840 Louis Nollau helped organized the evangelical Church Society of the West (St. John’s Evangelical UCC; Gravois settlement – Sept 28, 1840 expressed a need for fellowship and cooperation among Evangelical churches – with 6 pastors, formed Evangelical Church Society of the West; St. John’s Evangelical

President of Eden Seminary (alum); moved Eden to Webster Groves in 1924.

George Richards

Reformed Church in the US leader who helped in 1918, plan for Federal Union in hopes of uniting all the churches of Reformed heritage.  Richards was also the first President of the E&R denomination.

first President of Marthasville Seminary (later Eden Seminary); known for his excellent administrative abilities.

Friedrich Schleiermacher

Frances Kaptisky

Phillip Schaff

John Brown

In what ways did the two groups of German differ from the New England Congregational folks?

1.       Faith more important than education

2.       Character is more important

3.       Ready to serve others

4.       Commitment to church union to mission and social action

5.       Resistance to creedal and confessional statements