BEGINNINGS OF
LUTHERANISM IN OHIO.
BY PROFESSOR B. F. PRINCE, PH. D.
By the treaty of Fort Stanwix made with
the Iroquois Indi-
ans in 1768, a large tract of land was
opened to settlement in
Western Pennsylvania and other regions,
reaching as far south
as Eastern Tennessee. The lands in
Western Pennsylvania were
opened to purchase in 1769. They were
much sought for by
residents of the eastern part of the
State and by adventurers
from Maryland and Virginia. There were
also Germans di-
rectly from the Fatherland who came into
these regions desirous
of making a home for themselves and
their children.
These settlements were a background for
the pioneers who
came later into the territory which
afterwards became the State
of Ohio. Though a few settlements had
been made west and
north of the Ohio River by 1790, but
little was done toward
building up the country until after the
treaty of Greenville in
1795. The Indians of the Northwest were
very jealous for
their country west of the Ohio River,
and aimed at the exclusion
of the whites from that region. The
splendid victory of Gen-
eral Wayne at the battle of the Fallen
Timbers dissipated their
hopes and led them to cede more than
one-half of the present
State of Ohio to immediate settlement.
People from New Eng-
land States, from Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky
and North Carolina came and occupied
great stretches of land,
subdued the forests and made homes for
themselves and their
posterity.
Some of the first Lutheran preachers in
the State of Ohio be-
gan their work in Western Pennsylvania.
In 1787 Johannes
Stauch, later changed to Stough, crossed
the mountains from
Maryland and took up his residence in
the Virginia Glades
situated in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
He came as a teacher
and a layman. In common with other
teachers who served in
German settlements, he conducted
religious services on Sunday
(268)
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 269
afternoons at which he read a German
prayer and a German
sermon. Because of this he was called by
the people a preacher,
and was pressed to do a preacher's work.
They argued if he
could read sermons he could also read
marriage ceremonies. In
emergency he did so without authority
from Church or State.
Soon afterwards he obtained from the
civil court the right to per-
form marriage ceremonies. After teaching
for four years, Mr.
Stauch in 1791 began the work of
minister and pastor, though
without license. In 1793 he presented
himself before the Min-
isterium of Pennsylvania and after due
examination was enrolled
as a licentiate of that body. Though he
appeared at the meet-
ings of the Ministerium he was not
ordained until 1804. Mr.
Stauch was no doubt among the very first
Lutheran ministers
who served west of the mountains. He
studied theology in his
own cabin, and long before his death was
recognized as a faith-
ful and strong preacher of the Word. He
became a valuable
pioneer missionary and laid the
foundation of many churches in
Ohio. He was the type of many useful men
who became pastors
in the Ohio field, men of limited
education but of sterling quali-
ties of mind and heart.
There were many adventurers and
irresponsible preachers
who visited and more or less disturbed
the early churches of the
West. They were without synodical
connection, some of them
capable, a few of them pious, but most
of them merely seeking
a place for the funds received and the
advantages that might
come from their position as preachers.
On such preachers the Ministerium of
Pennsylvania kept a
watchful eye. These adventurers were
generally anxious to be-
come members but could be admitted only
after much scrutiny by
that body. There were some splendid men
among the first
preachers in Western Pennsylvania, Revs.
Lutze, Stauch, John
M. Steck, G. A. Reichard and Jonas
Mechling, who were pious
and devoted servants and laid well the
foundations for Lutheran-
ism in the regions where they ministered
to the people. All
these men gave force and character to
the work in Ohio because
of their connection for a long time with
the same synod, and
their close relationship to the Ohio
preachers in yearly confer-
ences after 1812.
270 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
The Ministerium of Pennsylvania and the
Synod of North
Carolina were not indifferent to the
wants of the West. They
heard the appeals for aid and sent them
traveling preachers,
though they gave but a pittance for
their support. Their treas-
uries were not full. They would have
done more if their synod-
ical funds had permitted. Some years
they sent out a number
of traveling preachers; in others,
because of a shortage of money,
they reduced the number to one. Then
there was also a lack of
young men who were willing to enter the
work or whose educa-
tion was of the character needed for the
times. The older and
better educated found ample
opportunities for exercising the
ministerial office east of the
mountains. The Ministerium had
in its numbers persons who were educated
in Germany and knew
what a theological education meant, and
who insisted in holding
the educational standard so high that
few persons cared, in the
absence of a suitable school, to enter
the ministry. It was not then
in the power of the Ministerium to
furnish all the men called for
from Ohio. Had it been able to do so,
the history of the Lu-
theran Church within the State would be
of a different char-
acter.
At the meeting of the Ministerium in
1804 three propositions
were presented to that body from the
special conference of the
Lancaster district that looked toward
progress in the Lutheran
Church:
1. Concerning an institution for the education of young
preachers.
2. Concerning a synodical treasury.
3. Concerning traveling preachers.
These propositions were adopted by the
Ministerium, though
in lieu of an institution for the
education of young men for the
ministry four pastors were designated as
teachers for all candi-
dates who sought to enter the holy
office. At this meeting a
petition was received from Columbiana
county, Ohio, asking
that Mr. George Simon be admitted to the
ministry. A license
was granted him as a candidate, and he
was directed to minister
in the congregations that might ask for
his services, but was also
admonished that the Ministerium desires
that he receive further
instruction. Mr. Simon was undoubtedly
the first recognized
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 271
Lutheran minister to serve congregations
in Ohio, at least the
first of whom record can be found on a
synodical roll. His field
was in Columbiana county, and here were,
perhaps, the first Lu-
theran congregations in our State,
though not yet fully organ-
ized.
At the meeting of the Ministerium in
1805 there is this entry
in the records: "Mr. Jacob Goering
reported the death of the be-
loved candidate, Mr. George Simon, from
Ohio." No further note
or tradition is extant of his brief
work, though it is believed that
he was a good man and gave promise of a
useful life in the
Lord's cause among the people.
At the meeting of the Ministerium in 1805, it was
resolved
that a traveling preacher be named for
the district called New
Pennsylvania (in the State of Ohio)
whose territory stretched
from New Madrid to Lake Erie. To this
field Rev. William
Forster was appointed. His full name was
likely William
George Forster. In the records of the
Ministerium he is known
as William but in Ohio as George
Forster. Rev. Forster's name
first appeared on the roll of the
Ministerium in 1798. At that
time several congregations in Shenandoah
county, Virginia, which
he was serving, asked that he be made a
member of the Min-
isterium and thereafter serve them as an
accredited minister.
Their request was granted and he
remained there until 1806.
In obedience to the wish of the
Ministerium he made a visit to
Ohio in 1805 which he reported at the
meeting in 1806. After
his permanent arrival his field was in
Fairfield county, which at
that time embraced also parts of Perry
and other counties.
Through this part of the State ran
Zane's tract. The land ad-
jacent to this tract was rapidly taken
up with permanent set-
tlements, because it afforded the best
route of travel into the
new State. Hence Fairfield, Perry and
other nearby counties
early received a large influx of
Pennsylvanians, Marylanders and
Virginians who were of German descent,
and thus made the re-
gion an important one for the first
Lutheran preachers. Here
in what is now Perry county, was formed
one of the first Lu-
theran congregations in the State. It
was at New Reading in
1805, and was the first religious
organization in the county. It
is still in existence. In 1806 Zion's
congregation was formed.
272 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
The Church building was in joint use by
the Lutherans and Re-
formed. Rev. Forster organized the
Church at Somerset in
1812. This congregation became quite a
factor in the Lutheran
history of Ohio. The first building was
erected of hewed logs,
had a gallery, and a pipe organ built by
one of its members.
Here the Synod of Ohio, now Joint Synod,
was formed in 1818,
and to this place in 1846 it was voted
to transfer the Lutheran
Seminary from Columbus, a purpose never
carried out. There
are now seven Lutheran churches in the
county, all under the
control of the Joint Synod of Ohio.
Rev. Forster continued his work until
1815, at which time he
died. He lies buried at Zion's Church,
which he organized in
1806. He planted well, as the
congregations of his ministry
still show. In 1811 he located at
Lancaster, 0., where he was
pastor for a time.
There were times in the history of these
early preachers when
things did not move smoothly with the
various pastors. In 1813
Rev. Forster complains to the
Ministerium of interference on the
part of Mr. Leist. The complaint was
referred to a special con-
ference which decided that it was best
for Mr. Forster to give up
one of his congregations named
Ziegler's, in Fairfield county,
and for Mr. Leist to take the same.
Mr. Forster was somewhat disposed to do
things in an un-
usual way. The congregations in Belmont,
Jefferson, Guernsey,
and Washington counties, wishing that
Mr. Anthony Geyer might
serve them, Rev. Forster granted him a
license. When this ac-
tion was reported to the Ministerium it
met its disapproval and
it resolved "that Rev. Lochman
earnestly reprimand Mr. Forster
in the name of the Ministerium, for
assuming the right to grant
Mr. Geyer a license."
Rev. John Stauch was the second
traveling preacher sent to
Ohio by the Ministerium. We have already
noticed his coming
to Western Pennsylvania in 1787,
and his entrance into the
ministry. He continued to labor there
for nearly twenty years
and met with much success in his work.
But he was transferred
to another field. In 1806 the
Ministerium passed this resolu-
tion, "That Rev. Johannes Stauch
shall be paid for his labors
outside the congregations he has
accepted in the State of Ohio
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 273
just as other traveling
preachers." Mr. Stauch's advent
into
Ohio was evidently made in 1806, though
at the time of the
meeting of the Ministerium he is still
noted as from Fayette
county, Pennsylvania. He made a report
of the work done by
him at the meeting in 1807. He showed
that he had traveled
1300 miles, preached 67 times, baptized 212 children,
and that
he had spent one hundred and twenty days
in the work. Dur-
ing the next year the low state of the
funds prevented sending
out more than one traveling preacher,
and that one for three
months only. Mr. Stauch was chosen for
this service. The
other nine months were spent in his
charge in Ohio. In the
minutes of the Ministerium of 1808 Mr.
Stauch is located at
Lisbon, in Columbiana county. This place
was the center of all
his future labors. In 1808 he reports
356 communicants, and
in 1809 fourteen congregations in
Columbiana, Jefferson and
Trumbull counties, and five vacant
congregations, with a com-
municant membership of 505, and three
schools. In 1812 he
reports eight schools, and Forster
reports four schools. From
reports made from time to time to the
Ministerium, the early
Lutheran preachers in Ohio were very
attentive to the instruc-
tion of the young. And so wherever
possible they established
schools under the immediate care of the
congregations. The
free public school system in the State
was not in full operation
until a much later period, hence for
this and other reasons
Church schools were maintained. The
pastors could not give
them much personal service, for their
numerous and widely scat-
tered congregations consumed all their
time and energy. These
schools were conducted by laymen who
knew some of the rudi-
ments of education.
Another person who had much to do with
planting the Lu-
theran Church in Ohio was Rev. Andrew
Simon, a brother of
Rev. George Simon, whose early death has
been noticed elsewhere.
In 1808 Mr. Simon, who had been studying
for a year past, was
granted $30.00 to enable him to continue
his theological studies.
At the same meeting the following
question came before the
Ministerium: "Whether it might be
more useful and advantage-
ous that a young man be specially
educated and set apart for the
work of a traveling preacher, or whether
another preacher be
Vol. XXIII- 18
274 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
sent out for this work, as is
customary." This subject seemed
so weighty that further time was taken
for deliberation. After
an examination of Mr. Simon as to his
preparation for the work,
the Ministerium granted him a license
and made him a traveling
"preacher to the small towns and
northern parts of Pennsylva-
nia and to the State of Ohio." At
the same time there was
passed a restriction that no traveling
preacher should encroach
on the territory of a settled pastor.
Mr. Simon was the first traveling
preacher who had not first
been a pastor. The general opinion
prevailed that one could
not properly do such work without
training in the pastoral re-
lation, and the practice had hitherto
been to send only such out
on missionary tours. The experiment in
the case of Mr. Simon
was quite favorable and was afterwards
repeated with other men.
Rev. Stauch made a request at the
meeting at which Mr. Simon
was licensed that the latter be sent to
Jefferson and Trumbull
counties in Ohio. This request was made
because the field had
become too large for one man to serve
properly. Mr. Simon
evidently spent the year in the
above-mentioned counties. The
people under his care sent their thanks
to the Ministerium at its
meeting in 1809, and asked
that Rev. Simon be made their per-
manent pastor, which it pleased the
Synod to do.
Sometimes these pioneer pastors met face
to face some prob-
lems hard to solve, especially when
there was danger of offend-
ing the sense of propriety on the part
of the Ministerium. Rev.
Simon was troubled with one concerning
which he asked the
opinion of the Ministerium in 1811.
There being few preachers
of any denomination in the new State, the
people, whose love for
the ordinances of the Church was strong,
being anxious to enjoy
sacramental privileges, often sought
them at the hands of min-
isters of other denominations. Mr. Simon
by letter raised the
question whether he was permitted to
give communion to the
Reformed people. The answer from the
Ministerium was "that
in case of necessity it might be given
to any Protestant in good
standing, if he cannot have the services
of his own pastor."
Rev. Simon was perhaps inclined to
occasional departures
from strict Lutheran usage. In 1813
three congregations in Ohio
whom he was serving complain that Rev.
Simon does not abide
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 275
by the Old Lutheran form of doctrine,
thus showing that the
laity of these times were often more
churchly than the preachers.
The Ministerium took the matter in hand,
and after due deliber-
ation directed Pastor Lochman to inform
Mr. Simon of the com-
plaints and "admonish him not only
to conduct himself more
circumspectly but also to abide by the
pure old form of doctrine
and to make no innovations, or there
would be hesitation about
renewing his license." Mr. Simon
was a pastor in Montgomery
county in 1818.
Between 1805 and 1818 many calls were
made to the Minis-
terium for traveling preachers and
pastors for the work in Ohio,
all of which received attention and were
granted as far as it was
possible. Besides Forster, Stauch and
Simon, there were Tiede-
man, Dill, Leist, Henkel and others
engaged in missionary work
in the State. Paul Henkel was especially
active and where once
known, always sought for. He did not
live in Ohio, but had his
residence for a number of years at Point
Pleasant, Virginia. He
made many visits as a traveling
preacher, mostly on his own re-
sponsibility, but at times in the employ
of the Ministerium. He
began his missionary journeys among the
sparsely settled districts
of Western Virginia, Tennessee,
Kentucky, and a little later in
Ohio and Indiana. His visits to Ohio
were mostly made be-
tween the years 1808 and 1815. Unless
under the employment
of the Ministerium he lived from the
little support that might
be given him from the scanty means of
the people whom he
visited. In his little two-wheeled cart
he made his journeys
through the dense forests of Ohio
searching out the sparse set-
tlements, here and there, of Lutheran
people and ministering to
them, greatly to their comfort and
satisfaction. In 1812 the
Ministerium fixed his salary at $33.33
per month for as much
time as he might spend in work. Traces
and traditions of his
visits and labors are found in Southern
Ohio as far west as Mont-
gomery and also in Champaign county.
During his visits he
preached the Word, administered the
sacraments, instructed and
confirmed the young, organized new
congregations and encouraged
those he found already in existence. The
young churches in
Montgomery county sought his services,
begging him to cast his
lot with them.
276 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
Of the early preachers in the then West,
Mr. Henkel was the
most remarkable and conspicuous. At 22
he became interested
in his personal salvation. He devoted
himself at once to the
work of the ministry, but believed that
thorough preparation
should be made for it. Under the tuition
of Rev. Kruck of
Frederickstown, Maryland, he acquired a
considerable knowledge
of Latin, Greek and other branches. In
theology proper he made
fair attainments. In the minutes of the
Ministerium of 1783,
at which time Mr. Henkel was
twenty-nine, it states, "A certain
Paul Henkel in the name of several
congregations earnestly asked
for license to preach and baptize
children." After an examina-
tion in Christian doctrine and Christian
character he was granted
license, which was accompanied with a
number of monitory
rules for his future guidance, of which
the first one was, "To
preach the Word of God in its purity,
according to law and Gos-
pel as it is explained in its chief
points in the Augsburg Confes-
sion and the other symbolical
books." The license given in 1783
was renewed from year to year until
1792, when he received ordi-
nation. In his early ministry he favored
the Altered Augsburg
Confession and was somewhat inclined to
the new conditions
that began to influence many of the
preachers of all denomina-
tions in the West. In 181O when elected
to continue his travel-
ing visits to Ohio and other States, Dr.
Helmuth was directed to
communicate to him this action,
"And at the same time to advise
him to have no dealings with camp
meetings if he should find
such departures from our evangelical
ways." This was a period
when the camp meetings of Kentucky were
creating a great stir
among the people west of the mountains.
Few, whether in the
ministry or among the laity, escaped the
influence of this re-
markable movement.
After a thorough study of the great
Confession Rev. Henkel
changed his views and accepted it in its
unaltered form and had
the twenty-one doctrinal articles
published. Commencing with
a small work on baptism and the Lord's
Supper, which he pub-
lished in 1809, Mr. Henkel continued his
publications, including
hymn-books in both German and English
and a catechism also in
both languages. He died in 1825.
Perhaps no man of his day was so
influential as he among the
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 277
Lutherans of the West. He was a
model in character, in zeal,
and in theological views to all who met
him, or read his books,
and sang his collection of hymns. He not
only led five of his
six sons into the ministry, but through
his efforts many other
young men were induced to take the same
step. He molded the
character of future preachers and gave a
trend to early Lutheran-
ism in Ohio. He was a man of clear
convictions and a strong
teacher as well as preacher. By his own
personal labors as a
pastor and missionary, by the young men
whom he trained for
the sacred calling, by, his catechisms
and other writings, he
wielded an influence in many of the Ohio
Lutheran Churches
not only in his own day, but for years
afterwards, making them
conservative and close adherents to a
strict interpretation of the
Augsburg Confession.
While much praise is due the Ministerium
of Pennsylvania
for its interest in the scattered
Lutherans of Ohio we must not
forget the interest manifested in
another quarter. The Synod
of North Carolina was formed in 1803.
Rev. Paul Henkel was
one of its founders and one of its
strong factors. Many Germans
from the South found their way into
Kentucky, Ohio, and Indi-
ana. Their appeals came back to the
Synod for preachers. In
1813 Rev. Jacob Scherer, a prominent
member in the North
Carolina Synod went forth as a traveling
missionary. He passed
through Tygart's Valley, Virginia,
looking for neglected Ger-
mans, thence to Marietta, Ohio; from
thence to Lancaster and
Dayton, baptizing both young and old on
his journey. At Day-
ton he preached twice to the Germans,
who, he says, were mostly
from North Carolina and were ready to
build a Church. He
spent some time in the country adjacent
to Dayton preaching to
large congregations and baptizing their
children. He makes this
comment from what he had seen: "The
spiritual condition of
Ohio is dark; people of all
denominations are intermixed, and,
although they have many preachers among
them, there appears
to be a want of such who have sound
doctrine and are of good
repute." He was asked by the people
about Dayton to become
their pastor, but he did not heed their
request. Later he settled
in the State of Illinois and laid the
foundation of many churches
in that region.
278 Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.
Numerous requests for pastors came to the Ministerium
from all parts of Ohio. The Miami country, the region
about
Dayton, was particularly earnest in its call for not only one but
for several pastors. Germans from Pennsylvania as well as from
North Carolina had settled in the Twin Valley and vicinity in
considerable numbers. They were prospering greatly in ma-
terial things but were anxious for regular religious opportu-
nities. In 1809, though without a pastor, the Lutherans joined
with the Reformed in building a church for their common uses.
With this advantage they had to wait until 1815 before a per-
manent pastor could be secured. Again it was from Stark
county and the Scioto region that the demand was made, all
showing that the people had not forgotten the advantages and
satisfaction that come from the preaching of the Gospel and the
administration of the ordinances of the Church.
As a result of these earnest calls Mr. Tiedeman, Mr. Ru-
disill, and Mr. Dill were sent into the State to look
after the re-
ligious wants of the people. In 1813 tile Ministerium expressed
itself as highly gratified at the results of sending traveling preach-
ers to Ohio. By them congregations were collected and organized,
some of which became quite flourishing. Already six to eight
pastors were located and had found plenty of work. Nor did
all the early ministers come from the East. Besides the Simon
brothers, others who were residents of Ohio and who had felt the
call to labor in the Lord's vineyard, were recommended and
finally admitted into the gospel ministry. Mr. John Reinhart,
who afterwards labored in Jefferson ocunty, Mr. Anthony Weyer,
who served congregations in Belmont, Jefferson, Guernsey, and
Muskingum counties, Mr. Abram Schneider and Mr. Weygandt
were among those received into the Ministeriurn of 1815 who
could be claimed as products of the Church in the West. These
young men were brought usually to the notice of that body by
petition from congregations who desired their services, and if
they could pass a satisfactory examination they were sent back
with the injunction to be diligent in study, and to remain in the
fields to which they were severally called and sent.
An important movement for the Lutheran Church in Ohio
occurred in 1812. Up to this time it was necessary for the min-
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 279
isters of the State having synodical
connection, at great expense
of time and money, to make a long and
tedious journey across
the mountains to meet the Ministerium in
either Pennsylvania
or Maryland. When there, they found many
of the questions
with which the Ministerium had to deal
of little interest to the
members from the West. To avoid this
long and expensive
journey and to apply themselves to the
consideration of questions
with which they were immediately
concerned, the brethren of the
West felt that they should have a
meeting of their own in which
they could discuss such subjects. Such a
meeting was held in
Washington, Pennsylvania. At that time
there were eleven
ministers west of the mountains who were
members of the Min-
isterium. This meeting was held in the
charge of Rev. Wey-
gandt on the 17th day of October in
1812. There were present
Revs. Stauch, Forster, Meyer, Huet,
Reinhart, Leist, Weygandt,
and Heim. Those absent are mentioned as
Revs. Steck, Simon,
Butler, and Paul Henkel. Another meeting
was held in Fair-
field county, Ohio, in 1813, and one in
Columbiana county in
1814. This latter conference asks the
Ministerium for three
things:
1. "Whether the special conference might be represented at
the meeting of the Ministerium by one
preacher and one
delegate.
2. "Whether
the Conference may examine sermons and
diaries of the candidates without
sending the same to the Min-
isterium for examination.
3. "Whether they, as they think
proper, may permit their
candidates to take charge of
congregations and likewise change
the congregations in their
licenses."
The first and third requests were
granted. To the second
they answered, "That the
representatives for each time from the
western district shall bring with them
to the Ministerium the
sermons and diaries of the candidates
for the purpose of ex-
amination." The Ministerium was not
yet willing that over-
sight in the training of ministers
should pass out of their hands.
In 1817 the special conference of Ohio
asked that they might
form their own Ministerium. This
petition was denied, but it
was answered that they might draw up a
plan by which partic-
280 Ohio Arch. and Hist.
Society Publications.
ular difficulties might be removed. Such
plan was presented, and
it was voted by the Ministerium that the
ordained ministers of
the special conference in Ohio, or a
majority of them, be al-
lowed to license applicants as
candidates or catechists, and renew
the license from year to year, but that
each candidate and cat-
echist shall send one sermon and his
diary to the Ministerium
meeting each year. The examinations were
no light and easy
thing. The members of the Ministerium
stood for thorough
indoctrination of all preachers admitted
into their body; hence
they held control of candidates and
catechists as long as possible.
In 1818 the western brethren resolved to
do what had been
denied them the year previous, namely,
to form a synod of their
own. For this purpose they met on the 14th
day of September
at Somerset, Perry county, Ohio, and
founded the Ohio Synod.
There were present: Rev. John M. Steck,
Greensburg, Pa.; Rev.
Johannes Stauch, New Lisbon, O.; Rev.
Paul Henkel, Point
Pleasant, Va.; Rev. John Casper Dill,
Germantown, O.; Rev.
Henry Weygandt, Washington county, Pa.;
Rev. Jacob Leist,
Pickaway county, 0.; Rev. Johannes
Reinhart, Jefferson county,
O.; Rev. Heinrich Huet, Somerset, O.;
Rev. M. J. Steck, Lan-
caster, 0.; Rev. Schneider, New
Philadelphia, O.; Rev. Wilhelm
Myer, Canton, O.; Rev. Mohler,
Kittanning, Pa.; Rev. Andrew
Simon, Montgomery county, 0.; Rev. S.
Man, Montgomery
county, 0. Rev. John Stauch was chosen
President; Rev. Paul
Henkel was chosen Secretary; and Rev.
Weygandt was chosen
Treasurer. The reports showed:
communicants, 2,551; schools,
54; and preachers 14. They recognized
three grades in the office
of minister, pastor, candidate or
licentiate, and catechist.
The new synod licensed two men, Carl
Henkel and M.
Wachter.
About the time of the organization of
the Ohio Synod the
special conference thought it important
to set forth its views
that its Lutheranism might not be called
into question. There
had crept in among the churches men from
Germany, some of
loose theological views and of doubtful
morals. They had as yet
no synodical connection but were posing
as Lutherans. They
were going about disseminating their
modified doctrines to the
hurt of the churches. To meet the
influence of these false
Beginnings of Lutheranism in
Ohio. 281
teachers, a statement of the conference
on baptism, the Lord's
Supper, conversion and prayer was
written and published by the
secretary of the synod, Rev. Paul
Henkel.
The Synod was urgently requested to send
representatives to
the meeting of the first General Synod.
At the second meeting
of that body in 1822 two delegates
were sent; and it was decided
to unite with it. It failed to send
delegates to the several suc-
ceeding meetings of that body. After the
opening of the Semi-
nary at Gettysburg it refused all
further overtures because of
dissatisfaction with the theology taught
there and which to them
seemed to be dominant in the General
Synod.
There were some problems with which the
Ohio Synod had
to struggle early in its history. The
first was the language ques-
tion. The Pennsylvanians, Marylanders,
and Virginians who
were transplanted to Ohio soil found
themselves under conditions
which made the use of the English
language a necessity for
themselves and their children. By 1826
there were so many
churches and ministers who used the
English language that the
Synod was compelled to have its minutes
printed in both Ger-
man and English. In 1827 Revs. Andrew
Henkel and M. J.
Steck were appointed a committee to
translate the Catechism into
English; but in place of such
translation, they recommended the
one in use by the General Synod, and
their report was adopted.
They also resolved to use the English
hymn book published by the
Pennsylvania Ministerium. By 1836 the
struggle for a more
extensive use of the English language
had become quite urgent.
An English Synod was formed by the Ohio
Synod that year.
This new body was to hold close connection
with the German
Synod, send a delegate to its meetings
annually, transmit a copy
of its proceedings to that body, aid
with one-half of the moneys
contributed to its synodical treasury
the Theological Seminary
at Columbus, and recognize the Augsburg
Confession of faith as
the unalterable symbol of the doctrine
of the Synod. It was
later agreed that there should be an
English professor in the
Seminary. Before this last action could
be consummated the
permission for such professor was
repealed, which action led to
the withdrawal of the English ministers
from the Synod and the
formation of the English Synod of Ohio.
This new Synod sent
282
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society
Publications.
delegates to the General Synod in 1843
and commenced proceed-
ings for the establishment of an
institution of learning which
resulted in the founding of Wittenberg
College in 1845.
The second problem that confronted the
Synod of Ohio
from its very beginning was that of
missionary work in Ohio and
adjacent States. It must expect less
from other Synods now in
the matter of assistance and in a
measure take care of its own
field. In 1820 it licensed and
appointed as a traveling preacher
Rev. Christian Espich, who soon after
visited Clark, Champaign,
Preble and other counties and laid the
foundation for numerous
churches, some of which were afterwards
served by Rev. Henry
Heinecke, whose fame as a preacher and
pastor is surpassed by
none in the Miami Valley.
About 1820 Rev. D. Schuh visited the
scattered Germans
about Sandusky and founded churches. But
it was impossible to
find enough men to follow up the places
opened for work; hence
Highland, Guernsey, Belmont and other
counties were almost
entirely lost to the Lutherans. In
Cincinnati, where a congrega-
tion was formed as early as 1812, the guiding
hand of the Ohio
pastors could not be exerted; hence for
almost fifty years the de-
velopment of German churches there was
along independent lines
and they were of little force in
building up the Lutheran Church
in Ohio.
The third problem of the Synod of Ohio
was the securing
and preparing men for the ministry. Now
and then young men
signified their desire to enter the
holy calling, but they were poor;
neither was there a school in which they
might prepare them-
selves. In 1825 an effort was made to
secure a library for such
young men, but the project failed for
want of means. It was
then voted to take up collections for
their support, and that these
persons should be divided out among the
older pastors for in-
struction. Pastor Leist of Pickaway
county took some students
and Pastor Schuh of Sandusky took some,
but in two or three
years the plan came to an end for lack
of financial support. In
1827 a committee was appointed to find a
solution of the diffi-
culty. After two years of consideration
the committee reported
that the time for the establishment of a
school had not yet come,
as the means were not at hand to support
it. But in 1830 it
Beginnings of Lutheranism in Ohio. 283 was resolved to wait no longer. It was decided to establish a school under the title Theological School of the Evangelical Lu- theran Church of Ohio, to be located for the present at Canton, Ohio. Rev. Wm. Schmidt, pastor of the Church at Canton, who had been licensed in 1828, offered to conduct it without charge for his services for one year. An assistant was to be given him. Rev. Schmidt was born in Germany, educated in theology at Halle and came to this country in 1826. For one year he was editor of a paper in Philadelphia. He then came to Holmes county, Ohio, and gathered the scattered Lutherans into a Church organization near Weinsburg in that county. He was undoubtedly the best educated man among his colleagues and so best qualified to take charge of the new school. Rev. Schmidt drew up an elaborate course of study which covered a period of three years. It included German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Logic, Psychology and Ethics in addition to other more practical branches. The Seminary was opened in October, 1830, with two students. In 1832 it was removed to Columbus, where it has since remained, although changed to several different locations in that city. By the establishment of this school it was hoped that the days of greater prosperity for the Lutherans in Ohio were at hand, but the failure to secure unity of feeling and purpose pre- vented the full realization of such hope. Springfield, Ohio. |
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