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| Format | Dissertation |
|---|---|
| Creator | Graebner, Alan N. |
| Title | The Acculturation of an Immigration Lutheran Church: The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, 1917-1929 |
| Dissertation Note (type -- academic institution) | Dissertation -- Columbia University |
| Date | 1965 |
| Extent of Work | 385 pp. |
| Abstract | The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod is a conservative Lutheran denomination organized by German immigrants in 1847. It grew to be the largest of the original immigrant Lutheran groups, expanding from the Midwest to both coasts. The Synod retained, however, both a remarkably monolithic structure and a distinctly German character well into the twentieth century. By the First World War, German was still the language of most worship services and religious instruction. Such usage indicated the general lack of Americanization within the Synod. In the early years of the First World War, Missouri Synod Lutherans favored the Central Powers. This attitude and the use of German made the Synod a popular target for the hysterical patriotism which accompanied American entry into the war. Missouri Synod pastors and congregations were victims of outrageous violations of civil liberties. The war experience was beneficial, however, for it forced a radical quickening in the pace of acculturation. Between World War I and the Depression, impressive changes were made in language, missionary orientation, lay-clergy relations, fund raising, and in organization. English had been introduced in the Synod before 1900, but not until the war was it generally adopted. By the end of the Twenties it had achieved dominance over German in almost every aspect of Synodical life. The adoption of more English, however, meant that soundly Lutheran literature had now to be provided in English. German had helped isolate the Synod from many currents in American life; this linguistic insulation had now to be replaced by indoctrination in the English Synodical press. A new cadre of English-speaking leaders had now to be developed. To a large degree, all this was successfully done by the Depression. In the absence of mass German immigration, the post-war Missouri Synod faced a catastrophic drop in growth until it turned to native Americans as its mission field. Yet, in American missions, the Synod had to train its pastors in new techniques and also had to cope with population shifts of the Twenties. The rural itinerant missionary system had to be contracted while new churches had to be founded in fast-growing suburbs. To effect such changes, reformers in the Synod called for a rationalization of mission administration. Although much remained to be done by 1929, the Synod was by then committed to an "American" mission policy. The reorientation of mission effort involved also the phenomenal rise of evangelical advertising. Most prominent was the New York-based American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, representing an Americanized element of the Synod's clergy. The Bureau's program included newspaper advertising, tract distribution, and special publicity projects. Another development was early Synodical efforts in religious radio broadcasting. Publicity, radio, mass rallies, and the construction of impressive churches and educational buildings all helped give the Missouri Synod Lutheran status in the American society into which he was integrating. The Lutheran immigrant community had traditionally been led by the Lutheran pastor. In the rapidly acculturating Synod, however, there was fruitful conflict and cooperation between laity and clergy as Herr Pastor became Reverend. The focal point for lay activism became fund raising, and the key organization, the Lutheran Laymen's League. Founded in 1917, the League raised financial expectations and awakened the laymen to their potential. After its initial success, though, the League had difficulty finding an adequate base until 1929 when it reorganized and adopted radio evangelism as its goal. With impetus provided by the laymen and seconded by interested clergy, the Synod during the Twenties made significant improvements in fund raising techniques, such as special drives, envelopes, and complete canvassing. Regular Synodical receipts rose steadily; budgets rose even more quickly. The resulting pressure helped produce a more centralized bureaucracy administering the Synod. By 1929 the Synodical laity had assumed the financial duties imposed by the American religious system. The Missouri Synod was not completely Americanized by 1929, but it had changed remarkably since 1917, and gave every indication of having established the base for future growth among American, rather than immigrant, denominations. |
| Notes | UMI, printed in 1988 |
| Call Number | MKI disserations |
| MKI Terms | Lutheran church/ Lutherans |