Christian Cyclopedia

Lutheran Foreign Mission Endeavors in the United States, Early.

1. Early in the 19th c., Luths. in the US showed interest in for. missions by supporting various Eur. miss. socs. See also Central Missionary Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States.

2. The General* Syn. of the Ev. Luth. Ch. in the USA lent support to K. T. E. Rhenius* in India. Die deutsche Auswärtige Missions-Gesellschaft (The Ger. For. Missionary Soc.) was organized 1837 to work for Ref. and Luths., but failed; its name in the const. as amended 1841: The Foreign Mission Society of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the United States; engaged J. C. F. Heyer* as miss. 1840; fearing complications because of difference in policy bet. the Gen. Syn. and ABCFM, with which the Gen. Syn. had cooperated, Heyer resigned 1841; he was then engaged for the same field (India) by the Pennsylvania Ministerium.

3. In 1867 the General* Council of the Ev. Luth. Ch. in (N) Am. asked the Ex. Committee of Missions of the Pennsylvania Ministerium to carry on the for. miss. work. In 1869 the Gen. Council accepted responsibility for for. missions and appointed the Ex. Committee of Missions of the Pennsylvania Ministerium as the Ex. Committee on For. Missions of the Gen. Council.

4. The United* Syn. of the Ev. Luth. Ch. in the S. began work in Jap. 1892. All for. miss. work of the Gen. Syn., Gen. Council, and United Syn. of the Ev. Luth. Ch. in the S. was transferred 1918 to The United* Luth. Ch. in Am.

5. The Ev. Luth. Syn. of Iowa* and Other States carried on its for. miss. work in connection with the Gen. Council, the Neuendettelsau* Miss. Soc., the Hermannsburg* Miss., and the Leipzig* Ev. Luth. Miss.

6. The Ev. Luth. Joint Syn. of Ohio* and Other States supported the work of the Hermannsburg Miss. in India; 1912 it took over the Hermannsburg stations at Kodur and Puttur, among Telugu in E India. See also India, 13.

7. Norw. Luths. supported missions in Afr., China, India, and Madagascar.

8. The Augustana Syn. (see Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church) supported miss. work in India beginning 1862, Afr. 1866, Persia 1888, Puerto Rico 1898.

See also Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, The, VI, 8–9; Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, Districts of The, B, 1–2; Missions, 9–10.