Lutherans in NJ, NY, PA - from the Revolution through 2009

1. Lutherans in Our Area
A History – Part 2
21 June 2009
Alana Coble

2. Recap: Lutherans in Two Colonies
 New Sweden
 Swedish / Finnish Lutherans
 New Amsterdam
 Dutch Lutherans

3. First Lutheran Ordained in America
 November 24, 1703 -
Justus Falckner
 From Albany to
Philadelphia (over 240
miles apart) – travelled
some 1200 miles a year

4. 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

5. Patriarch of American Lutheranism
 Established training for new
pastors,
 Developed liturgy of 1748, and
common Lutheran Service
Hymnal
 Travelled extensively (NY to Muhlenberg House
Georgia), mediated in disputes
 Introduced constitutional
provisions in congregations that
eased transition to “free church”
model
Old Trappe Church

6. 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)

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 Theological
Seminary founded
 Chartered 1816
 First Lutheran seminary in US

10. Hartwick Seminary

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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).

18. 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?

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. Gettysburg Seminary
 Fd. 1826 by S. S. Schmucker
 Now Lutheran Theological Seminary at
Gettysburg

23. Lutheran Theological Seminary,
Philadelphia
 Fd. 1864 by Ministerium of PA
 1st classes held on 9th Street
 Relocated 1889 to Mt. Airy

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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.

27. NYC Churches
Swedish-Finnish Church, Holy Trinity, 1920s
Brooklyn

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. Scandinavian Churches
 Influx late 19th century through 1920s
Rasmus Andersen: 1883 – 1924
 Brooklyn Peder Jensen Pedersen: 1924 –
1929
 Our Savior’s (Danish) Alfred Thorkil Dorf: 1929 – 1946
(1872) Frank Olaf Lund: 1946 - 1947
Einar August Anderson: 1948 - 51

32. 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

33. 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.

34. Elizabeth, 1920
San Marcos
(1st Lutheran
Church in
Elizabeth
Norwegian
Church

35. 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 St. Paul’s
 They merged late 1960s into United Lutheran Church
 Closed for financial reasons mid-1990s
 1919 – St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, LCMS

36. 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

37. Jersey City / Hoboken
 The Lutheran Homes at Jersey City
 Nursing & old age care for women (1868)

38. 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

39. Newark
 First Reformed
Dutch Church, fd.
1847
 Became Lutheran
1883
 Dissolved between
1914 and 1922

40. 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

41. 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)

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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)

46. 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

47. 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

48. Lutherans in NJ, 2009
 189 ELCA congregations in the New Jersey
Synod
 in 159 municipalities
 490 ELCA Congregations within 60 miles of
Summit