Lutherans in Our Area

A History – Part 2

21 June 2009

Alana Coble

Recap: Lutherans in Two Colonies New Sweden

Swedish / Finnish Lutherans New Amsterdam

Dutch Lutherans

First Lutheran Ordained in America November 24, 1703 -

Justus Falckner From Albany to

Philadelphia (over 240 miles apart) – travelled some 1200 miles a year

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (1711-1787) Arrived in Pennsylvania

1742 1748 – called together the

Ministerium of Pennsylvania, first permanent synod

1760 – NY congregations join Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States

Patriarch of American Lutheranism Established training for new

pastors, Developed liturgy of 1748, and

common Lutheran Service Hymnal

Travelled extensively (NY to Georgia), mediated in disputes

Introduced constitutional provisions in congregations that eased transition to “free church” model

Old Trappe Church

Muhlenberg House

A Lutheran Revolution

1787-1792, more organization 4 new synods formed, and Pennsylvania

Ministerium reorganized NY organized its own synod 1792

Northern NJ was still claimed by PA By 1800, NY synod had 11 pastors, 39

congregations (NY, NJ, Canada)

A Lutheran Revolution

Part of larger trend of Protestant organization Unlike others who wanted independence from

Europe, Lutherans wanted ties and money Money, materials, pastors flowed through 1790s

While southern synods shrank, PA grew & subdivided into conferences

Synods concerned with quality & supply of clergy Education became a primary concern

John Christopher Kunze (1744-1807) Came to America age 26,

highly educated Muhlenberg’s son-in-law Drafted first PA Ministerium constitution 1777 Succeeded Muhlenberg at Zion Lutheran Church

1779 Moved to NY 1784 to serve Christ / Trinity churches Served NY & PA ministerium.

Wrote both 1792 constitutions

Formal Education for Pastors

Kunze had begun teaching in Philadelphia 1773, but there was no formal seminary yet

John Christopher Hartwick (1714 - 96) left land near Albany for a theological seminary for missionaries to “Red or Black Heathen”

1797: Hartwick TheologicalSeminary founded Chartered 1816 First Lutheran seminary in US

Hartwick Seminary

Crisis Years, 1800-1817

Tens of thousands of Lutherans in US How to proceed?

Language issues (German vs. English) Mobility of population vs. parish-based clergy Theological education

Crisis Years - Language

Kunze & NY were leaders in moving toward English Kunz published English catechism 1784, English hymnal

1794, liturgy 1796 NY Ministerium changed

to English 1806 St. John’s (Phila) founded

as English-speaking But there was opposition –

e.g., Zion Lutheran Church Phila – Justus Henry Christian Helmuth led prohibition of English, backed by Ministerium of PA

Crisis Years – 2nd Great Awakening Religious enthusiasm –

days-long meetings with preaching, singing, prayer

Innovations – long meetings, women allowed to pray in public

East coast Lutheran leaders opposed revivalism

Years of Organization and Debate General Synod formed 1819 – proposed by

Ministerium of PA Included NY, NC, MD, VA and PA synods Based on theology –

entirety of Augsburg Confession – instead of geography

The Great Debate – What does it mean to be an American Lutheran? Internal unity (based on faith) vs.

organizational unity By 1822, PA Ministerium had left General

Synod 1845 – so many strains of belief that a clear

statement of Lutheran belief was needed Some believed Augsburg Confession needed to

be altered to fit current world No action until 1855

The Great Debate

1855 Definite Synodical Platform Augsburg Confession needs to be updated - influenced by

Great Awakening revivalism Platformists:

Led by Samuel Simon Schmucker, first professor at Gettysburg seminary, leader of General Synod – as important as Muhlenberg

Confessionalists: Led by Beale Melanchthon Schmucker (Samuel’s son)

Charles Porterfield Krauth, William Julius Mann

Separate Paths

1866 Confessionals broke with General Synod General Council of the Lutheran Church in America

moved toward services that reflected 16th c. German Lutheran practices Congregation active in liturgical response and hymn

selection Hymns and service in one book Prime movers: Beale Schmucker, Charles Krauth and

sister Harriet Krauth Spaeth (music editor of Churchbook with Music, 1893).

Separate Paths

General Synod General Council United Synod (in South) Brought together somewhat by Common

Service book, 1888 But issue of whether church should regulate a

common liturgy remained What does unity mean? Confessional or

organizational?

Institution Building

Lutherans busy organizing, publishing, educating and giving care

Luther League (1888) began as Central Association of Lutheran Young People's Associations of the City of New York

Elizabeth Fedde (1850 – 1921) Emigrated from Norway to serve Norwegian

seamen in NYC Lutheran deaconess Began Norwegian Relief Society 1883 1885, opened deaconess house in

Brooklyn Included 9-bed hospital Now Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn

Philadelphia

Mary J. Drexel Home and Philadelphia Motherhouse of Deaconesses, fd. 1884 by John Lankenau To provide nurses

for German Hospital Bldg. completed

1888 Served Hospital,

home for aged, Children’s Hospital, etc.

Gettysburg Seminary

Fd. 1826 by S. S. Schmucker Now Lutheran Theological Seminary at

Gettysburg

Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia Fd. 1864 by Ministerium of PA

1st classes held on 9th Street Relocated 1889 to Mt. Airy

Upsala College

Founded 1893 – upper rooms of Bethlehem Church of Brooklyn Then 15 acres in Kenilworth donated 1898 1924 moved to East Orange Closed 1995

Church Building – New York City After 1840, many churches built By 1865, 24 churches Start to see Swedish immigrants’ influence 1900 – 95 churches

60 German & German-English 19 Scandinavian

Churches – New York City

St. Mark, 1847 St. John’s, 1855 St. Peter’s, 1862 Gustavus Adolphus, 1865 Holy Trinity, 1868 Finnish Church, 1890

St. John’s, Christopher St.

NYC Churches

Holy Trinity, 1920sSwedish-Finnish Church,Brooklyn

Church Building

Old Swede’s Church After the United States'

founding in 1789 ended formal ties with Sweden. A tower was built in 1837 and was rebuilt entirely 1864-65 in neo-Gothic style

Still extant – but became an Episcopal church 1957

Immigrants to the U.S. (19th century)

1820 – 1890 By 1930

Germans 4,731,023 5,000,000+

Swedes 478,000 1,300,000

Norwegians 850,000

Finns 275,000

Danes 350,000

Religion of Immigrants?

NY Times 1874-75 sermon series Though Lutherans were 3.8% of the population

(more than Congregationalists – 2%) – they were not in the series (nor were Roman Catholic sermons)

Viewed as the religions of immigrants

Scandinavian Churches Influx late 19th century through 1920s Brooklyn

Our Savior’s (Danish)(1872)

Rasmus Andersen: 1883 – 1924 Peder Jensen Pedersen: 1924 – 1929Alfred Thorkil Dorf: 1929 – 1946Frank Olaf Lund: 1946 - 1947Einar August Anderson: 1948 - 51

Scandinavian Churches

Perth Amboy - St. Stephen’s (Danish) One of 3 Danish churches in Perth

Amboy! Rasmus Andersen: 1878 – 1881 Ole Jacobsen: 1887 – 1898 Johannes Frederick Christiansen: 1900

– 1910 Alfred Thorkill Dorf: 1911 – 1916 Hans Olesen Jensen: 1923 – 1926 Niels Christian Nielsen: 1926 Franz Peter Ostke: 1926 – 1929 Oscar Hansen Dyreborg: 1929 – 1934 Peter Hansen Pedersen: 1934 – 1940 Svend Aage Baden: 1941 – 1945 Ove Richard Nielsen: 1945 – 1948

Elizabeth 1833 - Missions Committee of the Evangelical Lutheran

Ministerium of New York showed interest in the Lutherans in Elizabethtown, NJ (as it was then known) No pastor until 1855 – Johan Wirz 1858 - "The Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Kirche"

chartered Moved 1905, and changed name 1936 to St. Mark

Evangelical Lutheran Church 1951 – became home to Latvian Lutheran Congregation of

Elizabeth 1984 began outreach ministry to its Spanish-speaking

neighbors 1998 last English speakers transferred to St. Paul Lutheran

church Now a Spanish-speaking Lutheran congregation called San

Marcos Lutheran Church.

Elizabeth, 1920

San Marcos(1st Lutheran Church in Elizabeth

Norwegian Church

Elizabeth

1893 – Trinity Evangelical Lutheran English Sunday School begun – evolved into The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity 1896 Gained English-speaking members from the Scandinavian

Lutheran Church 1929 – HT divided – new congregation,

St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church St. Bartholomew’s Lutheran Church –

1905 – Swedish population Also Bethlehem Norwegian Lutheran Church

They merged late 1960s into United Lutheran Church Closed for financial reasons mid-1990s

1919 – St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, LCMS

St. Paul’s

Jersey City / Hoboken

1910 – 23 Lutheran churches 5 Scandinavian Trinity Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Church

fd. 1890 Mostly Norwegian Now part of St. Mathew

Trinity Lutheran Church, Hoboken

St. Matthews, ca 1858

Jersey City / Hoboken

The Lutheran Homes at Jersey City Nursing & old age care for women (1868)

Newark

1833 – St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (1st) Moved to current location 1910

Split 1840 – St. John’s German Lutheran Church 10 years of litigation Merged with

Redeemer Lutheran,Irvington

Newark

First Reformed Dutch Church, fd. 1847 Became Lutheran

1883 Dissolved between

1914 and 1922

Newark

1833 – 1 Lutheran church 1840 – 2 Lutheran churches

Same number for years 1875 – 3 Lutheran churches (all German) 1895 – 6 Lutheran churches (5 German, 1 English) 1906 – 9 Lutheran churches (most German, 1

Slavonic, 1 English) 1915 – 10 Lutheran churches (inc. 1 Danish, 1

Swedish) 1930 – 13 Lutheran churches 1998 – 2 Lutheran churches

Women in the Church

Supported mission work, esp. in India, then some in China NY & NJ Synodical Society (1884 – 1909) Women’s Missionary Society of the New York

Ministerium (1923 – 1929) NJ, Albany, CT joined 1927 Women’s Synodical Society of the United

Lutheran Synod of New York (1929 – 1937)

Synods and more Synods

1918: General Synod and the General Council merged with United Synod in the South to form the United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA) HQ at 39 East 35th Street, NYC

1960: ALC absorbs 2 other synods (another 1963)

1962: ULCA merges with 3 synods to form Lutheran Church in America HQ at 231 Madison Avenue, NYC

1988: ELCA merger St. John’s own Pastor Frye participated in

merger

Missouri Synod

Formally begun 1847 Begun in St. Louis ca 1838-9 – refugees from Saxony

Influenced NYC region as 1,000 Saxons passed through NY in 1839 1843 formed Trinity Church, 9th Street & Avenue B By 1918, over 51 LCMS churches in NY metropolitan area

Today, 149 LCMS churches within 50 miles of Summit 61 in NJ

Grace Lutheran Church of Livingston, NJ

Famous Lutherans in our Area John Ericsson (1803 – 1889)

Creator of the Monitor Jenny Lind

Arrived NY 1850 Dietrich Bonhoeffer

At Union Theological Seminary 1930-31 Studied with Reinhold Niebuhr

Returned to NY Spring 1939, but returned to Germany July 1939

Lutherans in NJ, 1890 19 congregations 12,878 communicants

General Council – 7,940 (2/3) General Synod – 2,415 (1/5) Synodical Conference – 699

Cities with over 1,000 communicants Jersey City – 2,230 Trenton – 1,575 Newark – 1,387

German United Evangelical Zion Church, Newark (1900)

Lutherans in NY State, 1890

317 congregations 89,076 communicants

Densest in NYC (Manhattan & Brooklyn) 54 congregations 30,857 communicants

In 1/3 of NYS counties there were no Lutherans at all

Gustavus Adolphus, 1887

Lutherans in NYC, 20th Century NYC 1920

160 ministers 110,430 Lutherans

NYC 1940 11 Synods

Including United Lutheran Synod of NY (part of UCLA, 104 churches), American Lutheran Church (5), Augustana Synod (17), Missouri Synod (54), Norwegian Lutheran Church (13), Finnish Synod (2)

205 churches

Lutherans in NJ, 2009

189 ELCA congregations in the New Jersey Synod in 159 municipalities

490 ELCA Congregations within 60 miles of Summit