Wilhelm Loehe's Missiological Perspective‪.‬

It is certainly astounding that the pastor of a small village in central Franconia called Neuendettelsau -- Wilhelm Loehes only parish--managed to create from there a launching pad for worldwide mission, beginning in 1836, for the next thirty-five years. Wilhelm Loehe (1808-1872) was for his time exceptionally visionary, driven by the will 10 provide those in need with the word of God-That included reaching out both co citizens in Germany and to immigrant German Lutherans and Native Americans in North America. Loehe's accomplishments in mission are significant in the history of Lutheranism both in Germany and North America, where many congregations--and even denominations -- owe their existence to his influence. Oddly enough, Loehe's mission feat was treated for the most part as a practical, even pragmatic, endeavor much less as a theological and missiological achievement, That has changed largely through Christian Weber s Missionstheologie bet Wilhelm Loehe in 1996, (1) which came to that conclusion through a careful reading of Loebe's written statements on mission from pamphlets, bulletins, articles, and journals in Klaus Ganzert's multi-volume work, the Gesammnelte Werke (GW) of Wilbelm Loebe, (2) especially in the volumes IV and V. In presenting Loehe's perspective on mission, 1 have decided to confine myself to three aspects From his overall contribution to mission at the expense of additional topics, such as mission to the Jews or his contribution to diakonia: first, l.oehe's theological discovery of a confessional ecclesiology for his mission: second, Loehe's concept of inner and outer mission, particularly for North America; and finally, as a third, particular theological reflections by Loehe on his missionary perspective and strategy.