American Lutheranism, Volume 1: Early History of American Lutheranism and the Tennessee SynodBente, F. (Friedrich)
History
American Lutheranism, Volume 1: Early History of American Lutheranism and the Tennessee Synod
Bente, F. (Friedrich)
Lutheran Church -- Tennessee -- History; Lutheran Church -- United States -- History
1751 Benjamin Franklin expressed his apprehension that "the Palatine
boors" would Germanize Pennsylvania. In 1749 more than 12,000 German
emigrants arrived. In 1750 the Germans in Pennsylvania numbered about
80,000, almost one-half of the inhabitants of the State. And more than
one-half of these were considered Lutherans. In 1811, however, when this
number had greatly increased, the Pennsylvania Synod reported only 64
ministers, of whom 34 were ordained, 26 were licensed to preach, and 4
were catechists. The number of ministers sent from Germany had been
augmented by such as had been tutored by pastors in America. Chr. Streit
and Peter Muhlenberg, for example, were instructed by Provost Wrangel
and Muhlenberg, Sr. Another pupil of Muhlenberg was Jacob van Buskirk.
H. Moeller, D. Lehman, and others had studied under J. C. Kunze. Jacob
Goering, J. Bachman, C. F. L. Endress, J. G. Schmucker, Miller, and
Baetis were pupils of J. H. Ch. Helmuth. H. A. Muhlenberg, who
subsequently became prominent in politics, and B. Keller were educated
in Franklin College. Later on some attended Princeton and other Reformed
schools to prepare themselves for the Lutheran ministry! To make matters
worse, the ministers who, toward the close of the eighteenth century,
came from Germany were no longer adapted for their surroundings, which
were rapidly becoming English. Besides, Halle and the other German
universities had grown rationalistic. According to the Report of the
General Synod in 1823 the Lutheran Church in America numbered 900
churches with only 175 ministers. (9.) The same report states: "The
ancient and venerable Synod of Pennsylvania is rapidly increasing both
in members and in ministers, and we trust that much good is doing in the
name of our blessed Savior Jesus. From the minutes of the session of the
present year, which was held at Lebanon, it appears that the body
consists of 74 ministers, who have the pastoral charge of upwards of 278
churches; that between the session of 1822 and 1823 they admitted to
membership by baptism 6,445, admitted to sacramental communion by
confirmation 2,750, that the whole number of communicants is 24,794, and
that there are under the superintendence of the different churches 208
congregational schools." (11.) In 1843, according to the _Lutheran
Almanac_ for that year, the General Synod numbered 424 ordained and
licensed pastors and 1,374 congregations with 146,303 communicants. This
averaged three congregations for every pastor, some serving as many as
six, eight, or even twelve, giving the majority of the congregations one
service every four weeks, and to many only one service every eight
weeks. (_Kirchl. Mitt. 1843, No. 11.) In 1853 about 9,000 Lutheran
congregations in the United States were served by only 900 pastors.
(_Lutheraner,_ 10, 31.) Thus, as the years rolled on, the question
became increasingly pressing: "Where shall we find pastors for our
children?" Yet, while the Lutheran ministers, as a rule, were most
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