Leben in zwei Welten: Die amerikanische Diakonissenbewegung und ihre deutschen Wurzeln by Margit Herfarth (review)

When considering the modern international German deaconess movement, many sources detail Orientarbeit, particularly the work of the Kaiserwerth community in Jerusalem and Palestine. Addressing a lack of German awareness of such work in the United States, this book presents a comprehensive overview of the transplantation of diaconal ministry across the Atlantic. Margit Herfarth reveals the results of her extensive doctoral research into the background of the German-based mission to establish deaconess communities in the United States. She asserts that most previous scholarship concerning the American deaconess movement addresses specific communities. Her work includes the history of several denominations.

While the title implies a complete review of the German roots of the American deaconess movement, the first half of Herfarth’s work primarily covers the history of the various Lutheran deaconess ministries influenced by Theodor and Friederike Fliedner and the Kaiserswerth model, while giving a brief nod to the diaconal mission of Wilhelm Loehe and the deaconesses of Neuendettelsau. The remainder of the book focuses on German deaconesses sent forth from the Westphalian Sarepta community, modeled on the Kaiserswerth motherhouse and based in Bethel/Bielefeld (282), as well as the history of urban Methodist Episcopal diaconal ministries. This work intentionally spans eight decades from Fliedner’s first voyage to the United States in 1849 to the 1930s and admittedly does not cover the history of the German roots of the deaconess movement of several churches that later formed the present Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod (203).

Any reader expecting a dry history on the American deaconess movement will be disappointed. Interspersed between dates and factual communal assessments are personal letters and journals of the sisters who were sent across the pond. Utilizing the vast records of the Kaiserswerth community, Herfarth explores the historical and societal reasons for the difficulty of transplanting the German model of the feminine diaconate. Communication across the Atlantic was difficult. Adjusting to a new language and culture proved to be more of a challenge than expected. Whereas most immigrants came to the United States intending to start a new life in a new land, the German sisters were sent out into the missionary field—they were not considered immigrants; many intended eventually to return to Kaiserswerth.

While the Lutheran diaconates in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia remained committed to serving primarily in hospitals and to helping specific European immigrant communities, other denominations expanded diaconal ministry in response to the rapid urban growth of the late nineteenth century. The Sarepta-supported work based in Dayton, Ohio, intentionally spanned confessional and language divides. The Methodist Episcopal Church planted a diaconate in the middle of Chicago, the second largest city at that time. While not always successfully emulated, the Kaiserswerth model was generally recognized as the prime example of thriving deaconess ministry.

Students, teachers or practitioners of diaconal ministry willing to read a German text may find Herfarth’s book interesting and informative. Not only does it help the reader understand the roots of deaconess work, it also reminds one of the continued influence of the deaconess movement in American society. The heart of diaconal service evidenced in those who founded communities and answered a call continues to beat today in American hospitals, social service agencies, and active diaconal communities, persistently reminding the church of its call to serve all people, following the example of Jesus.