Friedrich Wyneken Called to Baltimore

On November 20, 1844, 175 years ago, missionary pastor Friedrich Wyneken received a call to serve St. Paul Lutheran congregation of Baltimore. After much correspondence, and on the condition that Baltimore wait for him until another pastor was called to Fort Wayne, Wyneken accepted the call. He nominated Wilhelm Sihler to be his successor in Indiana. His two parishes extended the call to Dr. Sihler, who accepted it. Wyneken left the instruction of three candidates for the ministry to his successor. Their education continued to impress the importance of theological education to their instructor, who strongly encoraged both Dr. Sihler and Pastor Wilhelm Löhe to establish a seminary in Fort Wayne. In February of 1845, Pastor Wyneken preached his farewell sermon in Indiana and moved on to Baltimore, arriving in March of 1845.

Friedrich Wyneken was familiar with this parish. When he first set foot in America, he had substituted for their pastor Johannes Häsbärt. His direct, sincere and compassionate care of the members made such an impression on Häsbärt that the pastor personally recommended Wyneken for missionary service in the West. Very likely the members of St. Paul’s remembered that care also.

In his new parish, Pastor Wyneken continued his program of catechesis in Lutheran doctrine and practice. His first series of sermons at Baltimore focused on the differences between Reformed and Lutheran theology, for which he used Luther’s Catechisms and the Heidelberg Catechism as a text. While substantial group of Reformed members of his new congregation withdrew in anger, many of the people
wholeheartedly received Wyneken and welcomed his instruction.

At Baltimore, Wyneken added opposition to fraternal lodges to his arsenal of apologetics. The lodge movement was strong in Baltimore and several of Wyneken’s parishioners had joined one or another. After a thorough study of these movements, he became convinced that membership in a lodge was incompatible with Christianity. Through his witness, he brought the issue to the attention of confessional Lutheranism.

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