Page 2 - GC-May-June-2023

Perspectives . . . Who were the Buffalo Synod Lutherans?

by Martin Ederer When Grabau died in 1879,
ost of us have heard about the he left an important legacy.
Tell your friends MMissouri Synod Lutherans. Not only did the Buffalo
Most of us also are aware that there
Synod constitute an
are significant differences between important chapter in the
the Missouri Synod and the Evangel-
and relatives! ical Lutheran Church in America, the history of American
ELCA Lutherans. The Missouri Syn-
od is generally considered the much Lutheranism, but it also left
by Martin Ederer Invite your younger more conservative-traditionalist an important local legacy.
e need to involve the relatives to dinner and talk. wing of American Lutheranism.
younger generation in It’s a great German The event that pushed many Lu- aus Preussen ausgewanderten lu-
Wour German heritage therans to emigrate from Prussian therischen Kirche, which came to be
stuff! This seems to be a common tradition. Talk religion. territories was Friedrich Wilhelm known simply as the Buffalo Synod.
lament among many venerable old Talk about the family III’s 1817 decision to unify the Lu- For a time the Buffalo Synod hoped
societies, volunteer groups, clubs – background. Talk about the theran and Reformed (Calvinist) to attract other Lutheran immigrants
and most church denominations and good, the bad and the ugly. churches. Both were Protestant, but in the Midwest who had left Saxony
communities. It’s also not a lament Talk politics. Tell the stories. both had differing doctrines, ecclesi- A portrait of Johannes Andreas because of similar grievances there.
unique to German-Americans. ology and liturgy. The Prussian August Grabau. Those plans generally failed; sever-
Analysis of the reasons could alone Have a good (polite) Union of Churches was an attempt to al groups of Midwest Old Lutherans
result in a fascinating sociological argument. strengthen royal control over all the to submit, incidents of force and eventually formed synods of their
study. Protestant churches in his realm imprisonment multiplied. own, most notably the Missouri
Explanations may well be a then we’re all busy and distracted in through centralized administration Numerous such Old Lutheran Synod.
complex combination of factors. so many ways. All sorts of enter- and liturgy. groups found a solution to the Apparently, a major deal break-
Certainly for German-Americans, tainment are pulling our attention in In order to give the Union its best problem – and their growing fears er was conflicting views over how
many descendants of German- many different directions. Nice shot, it rolled out on the 200th anni- of how things might end for them – ministry should function. Grabau
speaking immigrants are now many problem to have – but still a prob- versary of the Reformation. As orig- in emigration. Thus began the story took a rigorous approach to that
generations removed from the im- lem. inally envisioned, the union was to of Pastor Johannes Andreas August issue: ministry was divinely or-
migration experience. Memories Does that make things hopeless? be finessed into existence through Grabau. Born in Olvenstedt in dained and therefore quite patriar-
and stories have grown dim. Not necessarily. But it does mean the unification of sects in Potsdam 1804, Grabau grew into a serious chal. He believed that ministers
Older generations may have al- that we cannot simply take for near Berlin, an event designed to opponent of the Union as the king could demand obedience in all
ready lost the stories – thanks in granted that a cultural heritage will serve as an example. Congregations ramped up enforcement of the things not contrary to the law of
part to social embarrassment over survive just because. Don’t let chil- elsewhere were encouraged to vol- Union. He did jail time twice for God. The Saxons held a more con-
coming from a place that America dren, grandchildren or even the untarily follow that example. As the his convictions. gregational, shared decision-mak-
had gone to war with – twice. So greater community off easy. If you liturgical implications of the Union Finally in 1839 he gained per- ing view of authority. Any last
often the stories from older genera- have stories, tell them. If you have became clearer by the 1820s, opposi- mission to emigrate with Old Lu- hopes of collaboration between Buf-
tions of German immigrants or even maintained traditions, explain them. tion grew. theran congregation members from falo and Missouri Synod Lutherans
well-enculturated German-Ameri- Invite your younger relatives to A movement for Lutheranism in- Erfurt and Magdeburg. The major- ended in the 1860s when Missouri
cans went something like: “Oh, dinner and talk. It’s a great German dependent of the Union finally erupt- ity settled in Buffalo, as did Grabau Synod pastors insisted on providing
that’s the old country,” or “My tradition. Talk religion. Talk about ed in Prussian Silesia. By 1830, such himself. Other congregations of the pastoral care to Lutherans who dis-
grandparents came from Germany” the family background. Talk about groups came to be called “Old Lu- same group were established in agreed with Grabau’s pastoral ide-
(whatever that meant), or “Nobody the good, the bad and the ugly. Talk therans”. Royal pressure grew on New York, Albany and Milwau- als. The Missouri Synod regarded
told me from what part or when, politics. Tell the stories. Have a these new groups, first by decrees kee. Grabau’s ideas as too Roman, i.e.
and I never asked.” The end. Full good (polite) argument. Invite and regulations; when pastors and In 1845 Grabau and four other too Catholic.
stop. No good stories. A strangled them to some event now that spring congregations increasingly refused pastors established the Synode der
heritage – except maybe for beer. and summer are (theoretically) Continued on page 3
Many don’t even remember much coming and explain why their heri-
about the neighborhoods where tage is important. Explain how
their families settled here after they much of mainstream culture has
arrived, and they never asked. German roots. Think the
We have also sprawled out. Beethoven stuff. Your audience
Ethnic neighborhoods and settle- may not give a rip right now – but
ments for older waves of immigra- they may remember something lat-
tion are all but gone. It may well er. It’s worth the gamble.
have been in the nature of things for It’s never good for any genera-
descendants of immigrants to move tion to think that everything started
from their original poor or working- with them – if for no other reason
class neighborhoods where ethnic than it is simply not true. Such my-
concentrations could much more opia can disfigure us all intellectu-
easily maintain their religious and ally, culturally, politically and
social institutions along with a socially. Who would want that?
strong sense of community. And

� Saturday May 6 - 9 a.m. at St. Louis RC Church, 35 Edward St.:
New York Chapter Palatines to America German Genealogy
Society Program, "The German-American Experience during
World War I" featuring local German historian Bonnie
Fleischauer, includes a tour of the historic St. Louis Church
Museum, as well as a guided tour of Concordia Cemetery. See ad
on page 3.

� Wednesday, May 24 - Sproktoberfest - Rotary Club of
Amherst - 6 - 9 p.m. Fox Valley Club, 6161 Genesee St.,
Lancaster. Music by Auslanders, authentic German Cuisine,
complimentary German beer - $75 per person.

� Sunday, May 28 - Maifest - Spring Garden, 3838 Two Rod Road,
East Aurora. www. Springarden.com

� June 23-25 - German Heritage in Buffalo Weekend -
10th Anniversary of Samuel Helm Unit of the Steuben
Society. Members only events scheduled.
� Saturday, June 24 - Lagers & Legerhosen - An Afternoon in a
German Biergarten - Flying Bison Brewing Co., 2 - 6 p.m. - $20
- 716-866-5837.

� Sunday, July 16 - Waldfest - Spring Garden, 3838 Two Rod
Road, East Aurora. www. springarden.com

� Saturday, August 5 - German-Polish Celebration - Spring
Garden, 3838 Two Rod Road, East Aurora. www.
springarden.com