Church in Motion: The History of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Bavaria by Hermann Vorländer (review)

The Neuendettelsau Mission had great influence in forming and continuing to shape Lutherans in North America and other places in the world. This work, a survey of all Bavarian Lutheran missions, focuses extensively on the Neuendettelsau Mission, from its beginnings through its integration with other missions and the territorial church of Bavaria. Although it takes its title from Wilhelm Löhe’s statement, “Mission is nothing else than the one church of God in motion,” the focus is not Löhe but rather the broader mission movement of which he was a part.

The book has three parts. The first part describes the history of missionary work done by Bavarian Lutherans between 1819 and 2007. For the first 150 years, most of the account focuses on the Neuendettelsau Mission. It describes the mission academy, its training programs, and its sending of missionaries not only to serve Germans abroad in North America, Australia, and Brazil, but also to bear witness in yet unchurched areas. One learns of Löhe’s coworker Friedrich Bauer (1812–1874), and directors Johannes Deinzer (1842–1897) and Martin Deinzer (1850–1917). The detail given of life at the mission seminary gives an idea of how students were formed for their ministries. Considerable space (24 pages) is given to an exploration of the mission’s relationship to Nazism during the years 1933–1945. “The Neuendettelsau Mission had its traditional supporters in the same layer of society as the [Nazi party] and shared many of its political views” (43). The chapter also describes new beginnings after 1945, the changing challenges of and attitudes toward world mission after the 1960s and 1970s, and the integration of the Neuendettelsau work with the administrative structures of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Bavaria.

The second part, “The History of the Cooperation of the Bavarian Mission with Overseas Churches” provides an overview of the activities of this mission in 18 countries and regions. Some (not all) of these were initiated by the Neuendettelsau Mission. The New Guinea mission receives more space (23 pages) than any other, including interesting details of the influence of Nazism among those missionaries. Other countries discussed include Australia, China, Singapore, Tanzania, Kenya, Liberia, and Brazil. The reader gets a glimpse of the activities of a variety of German missions, not only those located in Bavaria.

The third part, “Priorities and Developments of Bavarian Mission Work in the Twentieth Century,” considers a variety of topics relevant to mission. It notes changes in the understanding of mission, moves in Germany to integrate the independent missions into the territorial churches, challenges in funding and media use, questions of the relationship of Christian proclamation to service and diaconal work, questions of culture and colonialism, and inter- religious dialogue.

Particularly the first section will be helpful to the American reader who seeks to learn more about the Neuendettelsau Mission heritage and how it shaped so many pastors who came to the American Midwest in the nineteenth century and continues to influence pastors and congregations today. Those interested in the history of German missions, including some problematic years under Nazism, will also find much of interest here. Unfortunately, the translation limps at times and is often marred by awkward expressions.