Baptist history is one of my research interests, having grown up Baptist. My great-grandparents ministered in the German Baptist movement in the U.S. and Canada. I’m exploring what my spiritual heritage reveals about evangelical movements within different cultural contexts.
The German Baptists in North America (1924), by Albert John Ramaker, is the first book in English printed on German Baptists in the United States and Canada. The well-written 126-page slim volume is based, in part, on previous publications Ramaker wrote in the German language about twenty years previous, including Ein Ueberblick über die Geschichte der deutschen Baptisten von Nord-Amerika (Cleveland, Ohio, 1897). Ramaker was dean and professor in the German Department of Rochester Theological Seminary in Rochester, New York.
Ramaker wrote a historical outline in English because young German-Americans were assimilating at increasing rates by the early 1920s, losing their grasp of the mother tongue. Similarly, more church services were becoming bilingual to incorporate English in hopes of stemming the loss of young members to English-speaking churches. The German Baptist movement was a missionary initiative to reach German-speaking immigrants in North America, but that meant change was inevitable as the number of German speakers declined.
The oldest Baptist churches in America were founded by English and Welsh Baptists. The first was planted in Providence, Rhode Island in 1638 by Roger Williams. German Christians were latecomers with only a few Mennonites trickling in by the late 1680s. The first significant wave of German immigrants arrived in the 1700s. An influx of Moravians and “Tunkers” (Anabaptists) settled in Pennsylvania to escape religious intolerance in their native land.[1] These initial groups immigrated collectively with their pastors. As a result, they had spiritual leaders that later German immigrants did not have.
By the early 1800s, Germans from a variety of Christian denominations were planting churches in North America to meet the pressing need for pastoral care (10). German Baptists established their first churches in America in the 1840s. The purpose of the movement was “to bring the ever-increasing numbers of Germans who have made their permanent home here [in North America] to accept a personal, vital Christianity in place of the often formal type in which large numbers of them had been trained in the State-churches of their native land” (11). Significantly, English revivals of the 18th and 19th centuries had influenced German Christians, including Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, and Reformed, leading to a great appreciation for evangelism and experiential Christian faith (12).
A few German Baptist efforts sprouted simultaneously in North America, but the man most credited with starting the movement is Konrad Anton Fleischmann (1812-1867). After studying theology in Bern under Karl von Radt, he was encouraged by George Mueller of Bristol, England, to minister in America. Fleischmann arrived in New York in 1839 (15), setting out on faith without money or a ministry job, and so struggled in the early years. He took a post at an existing Protestant church in Newark, New Jersey, but doctrinal differences led to tension (e.g. he would not baptize infants). Fleischmann left with only three baptized members following him. Seeking more fertile ground, he went to Pennsylvania. A revival led to many baptisms, but no organized church. Instead, the newly baptized met in their homes with lay leadership. But in 1843, Fleischmann established a church with thirteen members in Philadelphia, which he called “The German Church of the Lord that Meets on Poplar Street.”
Ramaker mentions other early German Baptist missionaries and pastors by geographical region where they served, including John Eschmann (New York City, NY), Alexander von Puttkamer (Buffalo, NY), Andreas Henrich (Rochester, NY), Jeremias Grimmell (Brooklyn, NY), Wilhelm Grimm (Milwaukee, WI), Christopher Schoemaker (St. Louis, MO), Karl Kresse (Concordia, MO), J. H. Krueger (Peoria, IL), Jacob Meier (Chicago, IL), Augustus Rauschenbusch and Heinrich Schneider (Ontario, Canada). They came from a variety of backgrounds and Christian influences in Europe, but all had come to subscribe to believer’s baptism. Often, they had experienced religious intolerance in their home country for breaking away from the State church.
The German Baptist movement was a northern movement with congregations planted in the northern states and Canada (Rauschenbush planted the first church in Canada in 1851). Missionaries simply followed German migration patterns. Churches were planted in areas with high concentrations of German-speaking immigrants. With a start primarily in New York and Pennsylvania, the movement spread westward to Wisconsin, Missouri, and Illinois. In Canada, efforts extended beyond Ontario to Alberta. Later the westward spread continued, especially to the Dakotas, again following German immigration trends.
At the first Conference in 1851, there were eight churches comprising a total membership of 405 people. By 1923, German Baptist churches in North America numbered 284 with membership of 31,826 (42). These churches could be found in 27 American states and five provinces of Canada. Their northern concentration naturally fostered connection with English-speaking Baptist friends in the north. Early on “North American Baptists” (German Baptists) collaborated with the “Northern Baptist Convention” (now called “American Baptist Churches”).
After describing the movement’s beginnings, key pioneers, geographical spread and statistics, Ramaker highlights “deeper factors” characterizing German Baptists. Specifically, he names “personal experience of religion,” “missionary spirit,” and “sacrificial spirit” (see more on these below). Lastly, he names “losses,” as thousands of younger German Baptists left to join English-speaking churches. The decline of German immigration also became a factor in declining membership.
Ramaker then discusses organizational matters. The German Baptists wanted to avoid the highly centralized structure of Roman Catholicism, as they believed it impeded the ability to live by one’s conscience, as well as impeded the local church’s need to contextualize ministry. At the same time, German Baptists recognized the need for mutual support, clarity on shared doctrines, and unified efforts. They devised a system of regional Conferences. At the time Ramaker was writing, there were nine Conferences (51-52). Churches sent delegates to the regional annual Conference to represent the local faith communities (55), while the General Conference brought together all the regional Conferences. The first General Conference occurred in 1865 and took place triennially thereafter (66).
The German Baptists (in North America) readily consulted the American Baptists (English-speaking Baptists) for initial organizational resources, including drawing from the “Statement of Beliefs and Rules of Order” and the “New Hampshire Confession” (54). The American Baptist Publication Society also served as the German Baptists’ first printer. Later the two groups would publish a shared collection of hymns called the North American Hymnal. And some German Baptist missionaries went abroad through the American Baptist Home Mission Society. The German Baptists had not yet created a united missionary society because each of its regional Conferences was considered to be a missionary society (66).
In becoming more organized, the German Baptists prioritized establishing shared beliefs and practices, publishing efforts, and certain humanitarian initiatives such as an orphanage, girl’s home, funds for widows of ministers, and “homes for the aged” (especially for elderly former pastors). Ministerial training was also a concern. Fortunately, English-speaking Baptists in New York invited the Germans to become students at the brand new University of Rochester and Rochester Theological Seminary.
By 1923, several Societies had been created, including The General Missionary Society of the German Baptist Churches of North America, The Educational Union of the German Baptist Churches of North America, The German Baptist Publication Society, and the German Baptist Orphanage Society (68). The Missionary Society was deemed the most important of them all. Other initiatives also existed, such as the Mission and Benevolence Offering, a budgetary department that managed funds for “missionary and philanthropic activities” (69).
Surprisingly, it wasn’t until 1922 that efforts were made to create a national German Baptist Young People’s and Sunday School Workers’ Union (69). The emphasis on believer’s baptism impeded efforts to reach out to children and youth, who were considered too young to authentically convert. Many German Baptists had come into the movement as adults. The importance of each person making a decision to follow Christ with full understanding meant preaching was geared toward adults (104). That being said, despite late organized attention to young people, Ramaker notes early ministry efforts to children dating as far back as 1866, and a youth magazine, Jugend-herald, that was established in 1888.
Much more could be highlighted in Ramaker’s excellent historical outline, but the above summary captures key aspects of the early movement. In closing, the following are key characteristics of the early German Baptist movement in North America evident in Ramaker’s book.
Missionary movement. The German Baptist church in North America was intentionally founded as a missionary endeavor to reach German immigrants for Christ. The German language was used strategically for this purpose, as the language barrier prevented these immigrants from attending English-speaking churches. The missional emphasis was also considered the very factor that kept parishioners engaged and excited about their faith, as they joined the effort to bring Christ to others (49, 120).
Humble demographic. Many of the parishioners were immigrants, poor, manual laborers (in farming and factory work), and lacked higher education. Rochester Theological Seminary had to create remedial classes for prospective German-speaking pastors to catch them up, as many of the men had not attended high school or college.
Low-church style. Many churches began as prayer meetings in homes with a strong reliance on lay leaders. Early chapels were small and plain. Eventually funds allowed for nicely built church buildings, but these generally avoided ornamentation in the sanctuary. Simple and plain worship was esteemed.
Experiential or “mystical” Christianity. In rejection of formal State-church worship in their native lands, the movement valued the “personal religious experience” above “formalism and sacramentalism” (44). A personal spiritual experience was considered essential for a vitalized, authentic faith, characterized by a transformed life. The experiential emphasis gave rise to the “personal testimony of what the Lord had done for the individual” and it “made alive and very real an entire group of hymns that treat of the mystical side of the Christian life” (44, 46). In other words, the movement appreciated an affective component to faith (considered evidence of authenticity), as well as the work of the Holy Spirit in contrast to rote religion. Ramaker often refers to spiritual gifts and the Spirit’s activity.
Self-sacrificial spirit. The German Baptists were hardworking and generous. Missionaries endured much difficulty to plant churches, as parishioners were poor and unable to provide adequate salaries for pastors. At the same time, despite being poor, parishioners gave generously of what they had, ultimately building a movement that became financially sustainable (49).
Prioritization of publishing. Early on, the German Baptists had a deep desire to print materials. Even though the American Baptists told them their membership numbers would not make a financially sustainable newsletter, the Germans went ahead, publishing the first issue of Sendbote des Evangeliums (Gospel Messenger) in 1853. In addition to newsletters, German Baptists published tracts and books. These served to both unite the independent network of churches and educate parishioners, as well as to provide resources for the all-important missionary work. Relying first on the American Baptist Publication Society for printing, the Germans established their own Publication Society in 1870 with headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio.
Prioritization of education. Related to publication efforts, German Baptists printed books to help reduce divisions brought on by uneducated members debating doctrinal points (80). They also collaborated with English-speaking Baptists, who had started a new university and seminary in 1850 in Rochester, New York. Since instruction occurred in English many would-be German pastors dropped out as a result of the language barrier. Thus, the German Department of Rochester Theological Seminary was established in 1858 with its first instructor Augustus Rauschenbush (82).
Collaboration with other Christian groups occurred as a result of shared German heritage or language affinity (e.g. connections with Moravians, Dutch pietists). Collaborations also occurred as a result of shared Baptist heritage, as with the English-speaking American Baptists. Ramaker writes, “The German Baptists, as the outline sketch of their history shows, constitute only a small segment of the Evangelical Christian forces in our country, and they are also only a small fraction of the denomination whose name they bear. But there is nothing that separates them from the fullest participation in the struggles, aspirations and triumphs of the larger evangelical or denominational brotherhood” (120). The only distinction being the special calling German Baptists had to reach German-speaking immigrants.
[1] Sometimes the Tunkers (i.e. Dunkers; baptism by immersion) are mistakenly credited as the first German “Baptists” in America. The confusion is easy to understand, as Tunkers, like Baptists, believe in believer’s baptism. And Tunkers went by names like “German Baptist Brethren.” But Tunkers are Anabaptists. Anabaptists have certain distinctions in their beliefs and practices that differ from German Baptists who were more influenced by pietist traditions. But sharing a common language in a land of English meant a certain amount of intermingling between German-speaking Christians in America. Today, German Baptist Brethren are known as “The Brethren Church” and “Church of the Brethren,” as well as other names often containing “Brethren” (there are multiple branches stemming from the original group). On the other hand, the descendant denomination of the original German Baptists movement is now called “North American Baptist” (NAB), not to be confused with American Baptist Church (ABC).