Lutheran Historical Conference Newsletter

Vol. 34, No. 1...February 1996...ISSN 0460-0274

A Message from the President
Committee on Conference Structure Report
E. Theodore Bachmann (1911-1995)
Commission on Research and Publication Report
News By/About/For Members
Upcoming Heritage Workshops and History Meetings
Other History Group Meetings
LHC Leadership Updates
Concordia Sponsors Computer Forum and Pieper Lectures
Recents Publications
What Will the Next LHC Newsletter Contain?

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

At the October 26, 1995 meeting of the Lutheran Historical Conference Board of Directors, several matters were discussed that will be of general interest to all LHC members. Rather than print the minutes of the entire meeting in the newsletter, the Board has asked me to summarize some of the decisions that were made:

The Board received a proposal from the Executive Committee that will involve a restructuring of the present commission structure. With some modifications, the recommendation was approved by the Board, but the essential element requiring an amendment of the LHC Bylaws at the 1996 biennial meeting needs to be presented to the membership. The entire proposal is printed elsewhere in this Newsletter in order to fulfill the constitutional requirement that notice be published in advance. The Board believes that by assigning specific tasks to individuals, rather than to commissions, which have frequently had difficulty in arranging to meet, the LHC will be better able to fulfill its purposes. Please study this proposal carefully and be prepared to discuss and vote on it at the 1996 biennial meeting.
The Board gave attention to the program for the 1996 biennial meeting, which will be held October 31-November 2 at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is particularly noteworthy that the LHC is meeting at this institution in Fort Wayne, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Suggestions about the program are invited by the chair of the program committee, James W. Albers, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN 46383 (e-mail: jalbers@exodus.valpo.edu).
The Board took action authorizing the publication of this LHC Newsletter on a quarterly basis instead of the previous three times a year schedule. Items for inclusion in the Newsletter are always welcomed by the editor, Elisabeth Wittman, ELCA Archives, 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631-4198 (e-mail: archives@elca.org).
It was noted that A Chronicle of the Woodville Normal and Academy: The Original Lehrerseminar, written by Carl F. Vogel and edited by Paul G. Fuchs, had been published and distributed to members in 1995. It is anticipated that the long-awaited reissue of the LHC's first publication, The Synods of American Lutheranism, prepared by Robert C. Wiederaenders, will be off the press in 1996 and will be distributed gratis as a membership benefit to all whose dues are current for 1996. The Board affirmed its intention to publish a monograph in years that alternate with the publication of the biennial essays.
The Board discussed use of the World Wide Web and authorized Marvin A. Huggins (e-mail: marvinh@trucom.com) to develop a prototype of an LHC home page for demonstration at the 1996 biennial meeting, and in the meantime, if possible, to establish an LHC newsgroup on the Internet. The goal is to provide more visibility for the organization and to facilitate communication among the membership.
After the inventory of back LHC publications had been reduced, the remainder (a limited amount of all LHC monographs and Essays and Reports V. 3, 5-15) was removed from Augsburg Fortress and located at the Trinity Lutheran Seminary Bookstore, 2199 E. Main St., Columbus, OH 43209-2334 (tel: 614-235-4136; fax: 614-238-0263). In the future, the bookstore will be happy to fill orders for back copies of our publications as long as the supply lasts.
The Board wishes to encourage members of the organization who are interested in volunteering for service on the Board of Directors, or who would like to recommend potential Board members, to contact the chair of the nominating committee, Frederick K. Wentz, 130 S. Hay St., Gettysburg, PA 17325. Three members of the Board are to be elected at the 1996 biennial meeting. Nominations are requested before April 1.

The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be at the time of the biennial meeting in Fort Wayne. If you have anything that you would like the Board to consider, please get in touch with me and I'll be happy to place it on the agenda.

James L. Schaaf
Trinity Lutheran Seminary
2199 E. Main St.
Columbus, OH 43209-2334
(e-mail: jschaaf@freenet.columbus.oh.us)

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COMMITTEE ON CONFERENCE STRUCTURE REPORT TO THE LUTHERAN HISTORICAL CONFERENCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The following report was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Lutheran Historical Conference on October 26, 1995, and is being presented to the membership with the Board's recommendation that it be adopted (including the Bylaws change) at the 1996 biennial meeting.

In accordance with the action of the Board of Directors on November 2-5, 1994 (Minutes, VI, F) the four Lutheran Historical Conference officers were constituted as a committee and charged with examining "the purposes and functions of the Conference as a whole and particularly those of the commissions to determine if there is a more desirable organizational arrangement whereby the Conference can achieve its objectives."

After inviting the other members of the Board of Directors and the general membership of the Lutheran Historical Conference to make suggestions to it, the undersigned officers met in Chicago on August 22, 1995, and discussed in general the following topics:

Commission structure of the LHC
Frequency of LHC meetings
Relationship with other organizations
LHC Publications
Financial support of the organization
Staffing needs
Character and objectives of the organization

The committee presents the following recommendations to the Board of Directors for consideration at its meeting on October 26, 1995:

The purpose stated in the Constitution is an adequate statement of the task of the LHC. It permits a broad interpretation of the organization's scope of activity, and no amendment of the Constitution is recommended. (See the appendix to this report for the present text of the Constitution and Bylaws.)
The LHC should make a deliberate effort to reach out in two specific directions to identifiable individuals/groups, both encouraging them to participate in the LHC and offering them the LHC's services and resources, namely, (1) persons engaged in teaching Lutheran history, particularly in seminaries, and (2) persons or groups involved in regional or local Lutheran history societies and/or special interest societies (e.g., groups with an interest in ethnic history). For example, as a way of doing the first, programs featuring the teaching of Lutheran history should be incorporated into and made a regular feature of the biennial meeting programs. As a way of doing the second, notices in the LHC Newsletter could call the attention of LHC members to activities of other groups and societies with an interest in Lutheran history.
The reports and minutes of the biennial meetings and the Board of Directors should be published in the LHC Newsletter as soon as practicable after the meeting(s) instead of in the biennial Essays and Reports. The committee did consider whether the frequency or timing of publication of the Newsletter (presently three times a year, in February, June, and October) should be changed, but it makes no specific recommendation on this subject. The committee notes, however, that the financial state of the LHC is adequate to support a quarterly publication schedule, but questions whether the amount of material available would be adequate to fill four issues a year.
The present biennial publication schedule of Essays and Reports as a serial should be maintained, but the character of the publication should be changed to include only papers, essays, or articles presented at the previous biennial meeting. The publication would have to be renamed appropriately, but the committee makes no recommendation for a new name, other than to note that "Lutheran Historical Conference" needs to be prominently in the title or subtitle to give visibility to the organization, and that the general topic of the biennial meeting (if there is one) should be featured in order to call attention to the subject matter of the volume. The LHC should reaffirm its intention of publishing in the intervening year a quality monograph on Lutheran history that otherwise would not be published by a commercial publisher.
The present commission structure, which has the Board of Directors appoint several members each to three Commissions, namely on Promotion and Membership, Research and Publication, and Development of Technical Resources, should be discontinued. In the place of commissions with these general responsibilities, the committee recommends that specific individuals be identified by the Board of Directors to carry out discrete tasks. Such individuals, who would be called "Commissioners" (which would preserve something of the old "Commission" title, while indicating that the person had a mandate to fulfill a particular "commission") would be appointed by the Board of Directors and operate under the Board's supervision. Specific tasks that the committee has identified include:
- Maintaining membership records
- Editing the Newsletter
- Evaluating manuscripts for publication
- Editing LHC publications or a specific publication
- Relating to teachers of Lutheran history
- Arranging the biennial program
- Preparing the annual bibliography
- Monitoring developments in technology
- Recruiting new members (one commissioner to recruit archivists; one, librarians; one, historians)
- Liaison with professional organizations (one commissioner for each organization with which LHC members might be involved and that is compatible with the purposes of the LHC, e.g., SAA, ATLA, ASCH, etc.)
- Liaison with regional/local history organizations (one commissioner for each organization with which LHC members might be involved and that is compatible with the purposes of the LHC, e.g., Lutheran Historical Society, Gettysburg, New England Lutheran Historical Society, etc.)
These Commissioners might or might not be members of the Board of Directors and more than one task might be assigned to the same person. Each Commissioner would have the freedom to recruit as much assistance from other members as needed to carry out the task, without having to have those additional members confirmed by action of the Board of Directors.
Article 8 of the LHC Bylaws will have to be repealed and Article 9 of the Bylaws amended to permit this approach. The committee recommends that a new Article 8 replace the present Articles 8 and 9, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 8: COMMISSIONERS AND COMMITTEES
B.8.1. COMMISSIONERS
B.8.1.1. Commissioners shall be appointed by the Board of Directors from the membership of the Conference to implement the ongoing objectives of the Conference.
B.8.1.2. Each Commissioner shall be charged with carrying out a specific task as identified by the Board of Directors from time to time, and shall operate under their supervision, which may fix the term of service as necessary to accomplish the task.
B.8.1.3. Each Commissioner shall present regular reports to the Board of Directors.
B.8.2. COMMITTEES
B.8.2.1. The President or the Board of Directors may from time to time appoint committees of members and/or Directors for any temporary or ad hoc assignment. Such committees shall be directly responsible to the Board of Directors.

Articles 10 and 11 of the Bylaws would then be renumbered 9 and 10.
The responsibilities of the present Committee on American Lutheran Studies should be subsumed under the task of the Commissioner responsible for relating to teachers of Lutheran history.

Respectfully submitted,

James L. Schaaf, president
Norman J. Threinen, vice-president
James W. Albers, secretary
Ray F. Kibler III, treasurer

E. THEODORE BACHMANN (1911-1995)

The Rev. E. (Ernest) Theodore Bachmann, founding member of the Lutheran Historical Conference, died November 29, 1995, in surgery, after a brief illness. An active member of LHC, Ted helped to develop the LHC constitution, served on the LHC Board and the Commission on Research and Publications and was a contributor of papers at LHC meetings. He received the LHC Distinguished Service Award in 1988.

Born October 13, 1911, in Philadelphia, he was the only son of The Rev. Ernest F. and Lydia Brezing Bachmann. Ted's education included: Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, A.B., 1933; Harvard University, M.A., history, 1934; Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, B.D. 1937; and University of Chicago, Ph.D., 1946. Ted was ordained in 1938 by the United Lutheran Church in America. He received honorary degrees from Thiel and Midland Colleges and the Philadelphia Seminary.

Ted's career began in parish ministry at Trinity Lutheran Church, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, 1938-1940 and St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Wilmington, Delaware, 1940-1942. Thereafter, he served as professor of church history for the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary, 1942-1948; Luther Theological Seminary, St. Paul, 1951-1952; and Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, California, 1952-1961, with one year on leave as guest professor at Escola de Teologia, Sao Leopoldo, Brazil. During the post-war period he served as special representative to Germany for the World Council of Churches, 1946-1947 and 1948-1951, held the post of Deputy Chief, Religious Affairs, U.S. Military Government, High Commission, Germany. After 1961, Ted held several churchwide posts with the United Lutheran Church in America and Lutheran Church in America: Associate Secretary, Board of Higher Education, 1961-1962; Executive Secretary, Board of College Education and Church Vocations, 1962-1964; and Executive Secretary, Board of Theological Education, 1964-1973. In 1973 he became Publications Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, Switzerland, editing Lutheran World and Lutherische Rundschau. He served in this position until his retirement in 1978. Ted also served as archivist of the New Jersey Synod of the LCA and the ELCA, 1982-1994. In his capacity as synod archivist he also served on the Board of the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia and collaborated on New York Ministerium Legacy: Brief Histories of Congregations of Northeast Synods, Lutheran Church in America, 1986.

Among others, Ted's publications include: They Called Him Father: The Life Story of John Christian Frederick Heyer, (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1942); Epic of Faith: The Background of the Second Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation, 1952, (New York: National Lutheran Council, 1952); The Story of the Philadelphia Deaconess Motherhouse, 1884-1959, (Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, 1960); The Ecumenical Involvement of the LCA Predecessor Bodies: A Brief History, 1900-1962, (New York: Division for World Mission and Ecumenism, LCA, 1982); and with co-author Mercia Brenne Bachmann, Lutheran Churches in the World: A Handbook, (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1989). At the time of his death he was working with Mrs. Bachmann on the history of the United Lutheran Church in America (1918-1962).

Ted is survived by his wife and co-author, Mercia Brenne Bachmann, whom he married on October 5, 1941. He is also survived by his children Frederick Brenne Bachmann and Mary Lydia Bachmann and their families. He was preceded in death in 1952 by his infant son, Theodore. Memorial services were held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, West Windsor Township, New Jersey and St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, with a private burial service in St. Paul. Condolences may be sent to Mrs. Bachmann: 16 Sherbrooke Dr., Princeton Junction, NJ 08550.

COMMISSION ON RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION REPORT

By: Raymond M. Bost

The Commission on Research and Publication has presented to Oxford University Press and the editorial committee for the American National Biography the names of sixteen notable American Lutherans. They are additions to the list of Lutherans already approved for inclusion in the ANB, a reference work which is designed to replace the Dictionary of American Biography. The proposed additions by the Commission include (in the order of their vote getting power with the Commission): Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, Franklin Clark Fry, John Bachman, John Michael Reu, Theodore Graebner, Paul Chanucey Empie, Friederich C. D. Wyneken, Theodore Gerhardt Tappert, Otto Frederick Nolde, Justus Falckner, Frederik Axel Schiotz, John Christopher Hartwick, Eric Norelius, Sylvester Charles Michelfelder, John Alfred Morehead and Wilhelm Sihler. The Commission also asked the committee to consider broadening its understanding of religious leaders to include: Emmy Carlsson Ewald, Mary Markley, Catherine Scherer Cronk, Sister Elizabeth Fedde, Anna Kugler, M.D., and Sister Louisa Marthens. The project director for the ANB expects to submit all the biographical sketches to the printer by the end of next summer.

NEWS BY/ABOUT/FOR MEMBERS

Mark Granquist, Susan Wilds McCarver and Norman J. Threinen, were presented with awards by the Concordia Historical Institute for their published papers that appeared in the LHC Essays and Reports, Volume 15, 1992. Granquist's paper was, "Swedish-American Lutherans and Mission," and McCarver's was, "A Spiritual Wayside Inn: Urban Missionary Work in the New South, 1900-1920." Threinen's LHC paper, "Wyneken and 19th Century German Lutheranism," was honored along with his article, "C.F.W. Walther: Model of Spiritual Formation in a Confessional Lutheran Context," from Lutheran Theological Review.

Frederick S. Weiser, 55 Kohler School Rd., New Oxford, PA 17350, with Debra D. Smith, has translated and edited the complete records of Baptisms, confirmations, marriages, etc., 1730-1782, of Trinity Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in. Published in two volumes, some related Moravian records are included in Volume 1 and records of Mennonite marriages are recorded in Volume 2. While some records were previously published by the Pennsylvania German Society, these volumes are now the most complete translations available. The volumes are available for $39.95 each, with $4 shipping from: Debra D. Smith, CGRS, 1821 S. Club Dr., Wellington, FL 33414, (407)795-3730. [Please note, previous issues of the LHC Newsletter had an incorrect address of Pastor Weiser. We apologize for any inconvenience. Ed.]

Frederick K. Wentz, 130 S. Hay St., Gettysburg, PA 17325, has agreed to collaborate with Mercia Brenne Bachmann to complete the history of the United Lutheran Church in America that she and the late E. Theodore Bachmann had been compiling. Also, in October 1995, the Gettysburg Lutheran Seminary issued the booklet by Fred Wentz, Gettysburg Seminary's Role in a Defining Event in American History, describing events during the American Civil War.

Richard W. Solberg, 2756 Lakewood Place, Westlake Village, CA 91361, has contributed the chapter entitled, "Lutheran College Education in the United States," (p.89-134) in, Religious Higher Education in the United States: A Source Book, edited by Thomas C. Hunt and James C. Carper, New York: Garland Publishers, 1996. The articles includes an annotated bibliography of books and articles by Lutherans dealing with individual colleges and general related topics, 1989-1994. This bibliography updates the Solberg/Jon Diefenthaler bibliography published in 1988 as a chapter (p.222-240) of Hunt and Carper's, Religious Colleges and Universities in America: A Selected Bibliography (Garland).

UPCOMING HERITAGE WORKSHOPS AND HISTORY MEETINGS

The Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, will host a Managing Congregational Archives Records Workshop, February 17, 1996 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Milton, Pennsylvania. The ELCA Lower Susquehana Synod, also will host a Managing Congregational Archives Records workshop on April 13, 1996 at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, Hanover, Pennsylvania. The annual meeting of the Lutheran Historical Society, Gettysburg, takes place at the Gettysburg Seminary, April 20, 1996. The theme of the meeting is, "Ecumenism - Then and Now." For additional information on these meetings, contact: Michael J. Kurtz, 960 Aqua Ct., Annapolis, MD 21401; (410)757-1824.

Church days at the Wartburg Homes, Mt. Vernon, New York, will host a brief program on "Why Congregational Archives?" on April 27, 1996. Also a workshop on congregational archives is set for June 22, 1996 at Wagner College, Staten Island, New York. These events are sponsored by the ELCA, Metropolitan New York Synod Archives. For more information contact: The Rev. Robert Scholz, 20 Clark Blvd., Massapequa Park, NY 11762; (516)799-7832.

On May 15 and 29, 1996, a one-day Congregational Archives and Anniversaries Conference will take place at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. For details contact Paul Daniels, ELCA Region 3 Archives, 2481 Como Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108-1455; (612)641-3205, or Office of Church Relations, Concordia College, 901 S. 8th St., Moorhead, MN 56562; (218)299-4321.

The annual ELCA Region 9 Congregation Heritage Workshop is set for June 16-18, 1996 at Lutheran Southern Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina, with Dr. James R. Crumley, Jr. as keynote speaker for the "Friends of the Archives" annual banquet. For more information contact ELCA Region 9, 4201 N. Main St., Columbia, SC 29208; (803)754-2879.

The annual Congregation Heritage Workshop is set for July 14-16, 1996 at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. For details contact The Rev. Roger Peterson, Luther College, 700 College Drive, Decorah, IA 52101-1045; (319)387-1271.

OTHER HISTORY GROUP MEETINGS

The Lutheran Historical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania held its annual meeting October 14, 1995 in conjunction with the Auxiliary of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. The theme was the role of women in the church, highlighting the 25th anniversary of women's ordination among Lutherans in North America. The Rev. Frederick Weiser also spoke on the history of the deaconess movement. The organization has also recently held its winter meeting, January 27, 1996, at the Moslem Springs Inn, Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The speaker, The Rev. David Schattschneider, Dean of the Moravian Theological Seminary, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, discussed contacts between Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf and The Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenburg. The Rev. Mahlon H. Hellerich also related a brief history of the society at the meeting.

LHC LEADERSHIP UPDATES

Raymond M. Bost
LHC Board Member & Commission Chair
E-mail: bostrmo@aol.com

Marvin Huggins
LHC Board Member & Publications Editor
E-mail: marvinh@pobox.com

Ray Kibler III
LHC Treasurer
E-mail: ray_kibler_iii.parti@ecunet.org

CONCORDIA SPONSORS COMPUTER FORUM AND PIEPER LECTURES

The Concordia Historical Institute, St. Louis has begun a computer network discussion forum on the Internet, the worldwide computer network. The forum is an electronic mailing list for subscribers who wish to receive information about CHI holdings, resources, activities and services via electronic mail on their office or home computers.

The list also allows people to submit queries and requests for information or to exchange ideas or information. Anyone may subscribe to the list by sending the command, "SUBSCRIBE CHI" in an e-mail message to: MAILSERV@CRF.CUIS.EDU.

In a more traditional forum, the CHI is also sponsoring the Francis Pieper Lectures, February 22-23, 1996, in conjunction with the Luther Academy and hosted by Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. The lectures are dedicated to Dr. Pieper, professor and president of the seminary and president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and are intended to address current issues under discussion in the church. This is the inaugural event of the annual series. For further information contact: CHI, 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis, 63105, (314)721-5934.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Dr. L. C. Rudolph, librarian emeritus of the Lilly Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, has published, Hoosier Faiths, A History of Indiana's Churches and Religious Groups. The 688-page book includes a 57-page section on Lutheranism in Indiana. Overall the survey of Indiana religious history covers 50 denominations and religious groups in the state, as well as related congregations and institutions. Each group is described from its founding through their current status. The book is $39.95 and available from: Indiana University Press, 601 N. Morton St., Bloomington, IN 47404-3797, (800)842-6796.

Region 9 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has initiated a series of History and Heritage publications, with Volume 1, which includes presentations given at their July 1994 congregation Heritage Workshop. The booklet is available for $5 and payable to: Region 9 ELCA, 4201 N. Main Street, Columbia, SC 29203.

A History of Stewardship, by Dr. William O. Avery, Executive Director of the Stewardship of Life Institute, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is a history of stewardship in North America, published by Lutheran Laity Movement for Stewardship (LLM) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The booklet was published due to numerous requests after the original articles in this compilation were first published in LLM's journal, Faith in Action. The booklet is available for $2 from: LLM, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. A history of LLM is planned for 1996.

WHAT WILL THE NEXT LHC NEWSLETTER CONTAIN?

This newsletter will be able to fulfill its intended purpose of being a clearinghouse of information for archivists, historians, and libraries only if you provide material for it. The editor would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Maria Acuna, ELCA archives secretary, with this issue.

Please use this page (or as many additional ones as needed) to send material for publication to the editor. Items of interest to readers will include notices of research in progress, new appointments, publications, meetings and celebrations planned or held, bibliographical materials and generally anything of interest to LHC members.

The editor cannot promise to print everything received, although all submissions are welcomed. The LHC Newsletter is issued four times a year: February, May, August, and November. The November issue includes the annual "Index of Writings in the Field of American Lutheranism." The deadline for each issue is the 15th of the month prior to each issue. Please send items to Elisabeth Wittman, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives, 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, Illinois 60631.

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