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| Schwenkfelder Church | |
|---|---|
 Schwenkfelder Church in Palm, PA | |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Anabaptist |
| Region | United States |
| Origin | 1909 Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Congregations | 4 (2024) |
| Members | 2,695 (2010) |
| Official website | schwenkfelderchurch.org |
| Part ofa series on |
| Anabaptism |
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TheSchwenkfelder Church (listenⓘ) is a small AmericanChristian body rooted in the 16th-centuryProtestant Reformation teachings ofCaspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig (1489–1561).[1] They originated in Silesia (Germany). Due to persecution, they migrated to Saxony (Germany) then through the Netherlands and England. Six migrations brought the Schwenkfelders to America. The largest group arrived on September 22,1734.
Although followers have held the teachings of Schwenckfeld since the 16th century, Schwenkfelder Church was not formed until the 20th century, due in large part to Schwenckfeld's emphasis on inner spirituality over outward form. He also labored for a fellowship of all believers and one church.
Originally calling themselves Confessors of the Glory of Christ after Schwenckfeld's 1541 bookGreat Confession on the Glory of Christ, the group later became known as Schwenkfelders. These Christians often suffered persecution like slavery, prison, and fines at the hands of the government and state churches in Europe.[2] Most of them lived insouthern Germany andLower Silesia.
By the beginning of the 18th century, the remaining Schwenkfelders lived aroundHarpersdorf in the Duchy ofSilesia, which was part of the Bohemian Crown.[3] As the persecution intensified around 1719–1725, they were given refuge in 1726 byNicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf inSaxony. When theElector of Saxony died in 1733,Jesuits petitioned thenew ruler to return the Schwenkfelders to Harpersdorf. With their freedom in jeopardy, they decided to look to theNew World; toleration was also extended to them in Silesia in 1742 by KingFrederick II of Prussia.[2]
The immigrant members of the Schwenkfelder Church broughtsaffron tothe Americas. Schwenkfelders may have grown saffron in Europe; there is some record that at least one member of the group traded in the spice.
In 1731, a group came toPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, and several migrations continued until 1737. The largest group, 180 Schwenkfelders, arrived on September 22, 1734. The leader of their group was George Weiss, who buried his wife Anna Meschter Weiss in Philadelphia the day after their arrival. On September 24, 1734 (two days after arriving and one day after the burial), he led the very first Day of Remembrance service. This service continues to this day each year on the Sunday closest to September 24.
In 1782, the Society of Schwenkfelders was formed, and in 1909 the Schwenkfelder Church was incorporated. Though the Schwenkfelders thereafter remained largely confined to Pennsylvania, a small number later emigrated toWaterloo County inOntario, Canada.[4]
The Schwenkfelder Church has remained small. As of 2024[update], there are four congregations in southeastern Pennsylvania.[5] All of these bodies are within a fifty-mile radius of Philadelphia: one in the city itself, and one each inEast Norriton,Palm, andWorcester.
The Schwenkfelders meet each year to remember their migration to America on the Sunday closest to September 24. It is the longest running continuous running thanksgiving service in America and is held at one of the Schwenkfelder churches. They also meet on the first Saturday of February for Christian Education at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in Pennsburg, PA. On the first Sunday in June, they meet for historic worship at the Salford Meeting House in Lower Salford Township.[1]
The Church teaches that theBible is the source ofChristian theology. Schwenckfeld drew his theology from theOld Testament andNew Testament, and it agrees with theApostles' Creed, theNicene Creed, and theConfession of Chalcedon.[6]
The Church also recognizes the wisdom of church fathers, particularly those from the Eastern Church and Augustine. Schwenckfeld emphasized the inner work of theHoly Spirit,conversion (which he called the rebirth), and the new man.[7]
The Church also continues his belief thatthe Lord's Supper is a spiritual partaking representing the body and blood of Christ in open communion.[8] Adultbaptism and both infant baptism and consecration of infants is practiced depending on the church.
Adult members are also received into church membership through transfer of memberships from other churches and denominations. Their ecclesiastical tradition is congregational with an ecumenical focus.[9] The Schwenkfelder churches recognize the right of the individual in decisions such as public service, armed combat, etc. Individual, autonomous congregations select ministers by a self-regulated search process. Ministers and church representatives gather regularly in the Schwenkfelder Ministerium, managing the church through congregational government.[10]
Schwenkfelder theology fits broadly within the parameters ofReformed theology today. Each congregation remains autonomous in theology and practice. Historic statements of faith inherited by the Christian Church as a whole, including theApostles' Creed and other scriptural foundations, remain the best representative statement of Schwenkfeldian theology.[11]
Later Schwenkfelder theology also exhibits significant correspondence to thePietists.[12] This can be seen in the parallels to the writings of Pietists such asPhilipp Jakob Spener.
The Society of the Descendants of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles is a lineage society for descendants of the 209 members of the Schwenkfelder Church who arrived nearPenn's Landing between 1731 and 1737 and settled in what then was thecolonial-eraProvince of Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 byWilliam Wagener Porter and had an initial membership of 125 individuals.[13] Publications includeExile Herald (1924–1954)[14] andDer Bericht.[15]
TheSchwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center is anot-for-profit historical library, archive, and museum located inPennsburg, Pennsylvania whose mission is "protect, preserve and interpret books, manuscripts and artifacts of the Schwenkfelders and the people of southeastern Pennsylvania in general and the Perkiomen Valley in particular."[16]
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Schwenckfeldians".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.| Background | |
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