Wilhelm Loehe

Some people have an influence disproportionate to their humble circumstances. Wilhelm Loehe (also spelled Lohe, 1808-1872) is one such person. Wilhelm was derogatorily labeled “a pietist” by the examiner grading his trial sermon. It was the age of the Enlightenment, and church leaders, suspect of this young “enthusiast,” banished him to a small Lutheran church in an obscure rural community in Germany. When Wilhelm first visited Nevendettelsau, he called it “a dump.” Yet he sensed God’s call and poured himself into the work. The sorry state of worship in the church troubled him, so he studied two hundred liturgies from the past to revitalize their Sunday gatherings. The lack of medical care for the rural poor motivated him to commission a deaconess movement to alleviate suffering. Their motto is worth emulating, “What do I wish? I wish to serve. Who do I wish to serve? The Lord in His poor and needy ones.” When he received a letter from a German pastor in America requesting help, he launched an institute to train missionaries to share the gospel with German emigrants in the New World. Reports from Moravian missionaries that Native Americans had been driven from their land and mistreated prompted him to send twelve people from his church to share the gospel with Chippewa Indians in Michigan. While their settlement prospered, they were unsuccessful in their mission to Native Americans. It’s a cautionary tale of failing to appreciate the culture and language of people they were attempting to reach. Just the same, Wilhelm was a missionary pioneer. “Mission is not a function of the church; it is the church,” he said. This story serves as a reminder that small organizations can have an outsized impact. His devotional that he wrote for his church became immensely popular among Lutherans in the nineteenth century. This how-to manual on family devotions was accompanied by sample prayers suitable for every occasion. I encourage you to include his evening prayer into your bedtime ritual: