The German Protestant Churches of Fort Wayne

This post is a follow-up of yesterday's post, "The German Citizenry of Fort Wayne." While yesterday's vitriol-filled post gave the Know-Nothing approach to German immigrants and their families, today's post will give a rather more favorable perspective. It was penned by the thoroughly neutral, unbiased pastor of a German Lutheran church in Fort Wayne.

"Judging from the membership of its German Protestant [and Roman Catholic] churches a large percentage of the population of Fort Wayne consists of German-speaking people; a large percentage of these Germans are Protestants, and a large percentage of these Protestants are churchly people. The large quota of good, law-abiding loyal citizens, many of them prominent in political, social and business circles, which these German Protestant churches have contributed to the population of Fort Wayne, proves that they have had no small share in making Fort Wayne the thriving, prosperous city which it is at present. Their church buildings are among the finest in the city; their school houses, parsonages, cemeteries, etc., are in keeping with the city's thrift and progress.

"There are three Protestant denominations represented among the German churches of this city: the Lutheran, the Reformed and the Evangelical Association. Of these the Lutherans are the oldest and by far the strongest in number, while all are comparatively strong, flourishing organizations, as is attested by their large membership and valuable church property. It is significant, however, that all these German denominations have found it expedient to use the English language more or less, and there may be some truth in the prediction that, sooner or later, the English will predominate in our German churches, and perhaps even supersede the German entirely. This is not considered a dire calamity by any of these German churches, as far as we know, for all are meeting the demand for English as fast as it presents itself. Besides, it requires an extra expense of money and labor to keep up the German. But these churches are German by necessity, and the necessity will continue as long as German immigrants come to our shores and settle in Fort Wayne. Shall German immigration cease? No man who knows what these very German have already contributed to the prosperity of our city can ever harbor such a wish. In the name of his fathers and grandfathers, who today are some of the most well-to-do, honored and influential citizens of our city, let the sturdy, honest, hardworking, thrifty German be welcomed in Fort Wayne, and let us bid God-speed to the churches that take care of his spiritual interests."

Dannecker, Henry P. (Pastor of St. John's Ev. Lutheran Church), "The German Protestant Churches of Fort Wayne" in The Fort Wayne Year Book for 1906. Fort Wayne: The Fort Wayne Commercial Club, 1906.