Philip William Otterbein
Encyclopedia
Philip William Otterbein (June 3, 1726 – November 17, 1813) was a U.S. (German
-born) clergyman. He was the founder of the United Brethren in Christ
, a group that is a forerunner of today's United Methodist Church
.
(near Wiesbaden
), Germany, into a family that included many clergy. Attended the Reformed
seminary at Herborn
and was ordained June 13, 1749. He volunteered for missionary work in Pennsylvania, and arrived in New York on July 28, 1752. He served several German speaking parishes near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, finally moving to the Second Evangelical Reformed Church in Baltimore, where he was pastor from 1774 until his death in 1813. The building where Otterbein preached is still used for worship, and the congregation is now called Old Otterbein United Methodist Church
. It is located next to the Baltimore convention center, and is close to the baseball field Oriole Park at Camden Yards
.
In 1767 or 1768, Otterbein was present at a worship service in Long’s Barn near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Martin Boehm
, a Mennonite who had been born in Lancaster, preached, and after the service Otterbein came forward and greeted Boehm with words that became famous in United Brethren tradition: “Wir sind Brűder” (We are brothers). From that day forward they had a close working relationship. Norwood comments that “They were an interesting pair: Otterbein the stately university-trained minister and Boehm the Mennonite farmer with a full beard.” A few years later Boehm was excommunicated by the Mennonites.
By 1772 Otterbein was organizing religious classes on the Wesleyan
model, and on the day he began pastoral duties in Baltimore, May 4, 1774, he met Francis Asbury
who would be his friend throughout the remainder of his life. Asbury asked Otterbein to be one of four clergy who would lay hands on him when Asbury was ordained (or consecrated) as Methodist bishop, December 27, 1784, when the Methodist Episcopal Church
was officially organized. Otterbein died on Wednesday, November 17, 1813. His funeral took place on Saturday, the 20th; the funeral sermon was preached by Rev. J. D. Kurtz in German and delivered in English translation by William Ryland
who would later serve several terms as Chaplain of the Senate. In a memorial sermon in that same year, Asbury called him “the great, the holy Otterbein.”
Officially Otterbein remained in good standing as a German Reformed clergyman until his death, but his work led inexorably to the formation of a new Protestant denomination, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
. In 1798 Otterbein called a conference of clergy, including Boehm, to be held at Otterbein's Baltimore church. They took the first steps toward organizing the denomination. Two years later, in 1800, another conference took more organizational steps, including the decision to use a German translation of the Methodist Episcopal book of discipline. In their conversations those present used words such as “society,” “association,” and “fellowship,” but not the word “church.” They began formally calling themselves a “church” in 1814, after Otterbein’s death.
In spite of his reluctance to form a church, the younger men in his movement began conducting themselves as if they were clergy, including administration of sacraments, so seven weeks before his death, Otterbein ordained three of his workers: Christian Newcomer
, Joseph Hoffman, and Frederick Schaffer. Newcomer was elected bishop after Otterbein’s death.
On April 19, 1762, Otterbein married Susan Le Roy of Lancaster, who died April 22, 1768. He suffered great grief because of his wife’s death, and he never married again.
Augustus W. Drury wrote the biography of Otterbein in 1884.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born) clergyman. He was the founder of the United Brethren in Christ
United Brethren in Christ
United Brethren in Christ may refer to:*Church of the United Brethren in Christ, the evangelical Christian denomination*United Brethren in Christ , a historic church building...
, a group that is a forerunner of today's United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
.
Biography
He was born in DillenburgDillenburg
Dillenburg is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis....
(near Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
), Germany, into a family that included many clergy. Attended the Reformed
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
seminary at Herborn
Herborn
Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses; Herborn is located on the German...
and was ordained June 13, 1749. He volunteered for missionary work in Pennsylvania, and arrived in New York on July 28, 1752. He served several German speaking parishes near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, finally moving to the Second Evangelical Reformed Church in Baltimore, where he was pastor from 1774 until his death in 1813. The building where Otterbein preached is still used for worship, and the congregation is now called Old Otterbein United Methodist Church
Otterbein Church (Baltimore, Maryland)
Otterbein Church, now known as Old Otterbein United Methodist Church, is a historic United Brethren church located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a two-story brick Georgian structure with a peaked roof. It features a square bell tower and an octagonal cupola-on-cupola and much of the...
. It is located next to the Baltimore convention center, and is close to the baseball field Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
.
In 1767 or 1768, Otterbein was present at a worship service in Long’s Barn near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm
Martin Boehm was an American clergyman and pastor. He was the son of Jacob Boehm and Barbara Kendig who settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania...
, a Mennonite who had been born in Lancaster, preached, and after the service Otterbein came forward and greeted Boehm with words that became famous in United Brethren tradition: “Wir sind Brűder” (We are brothers). From that day forward they had a close working relationship. Norwood comments that “They were an interesting pair: Otterbein the stately university-trained minister and Boehm the Mennonite farmer with a full beard.” A few years later Boehm was excommunicated by the Mennonites.
By 1772 Otterbein was organizing religious classes on the Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
model, and on the day he began pastoral duties in Baltimore, May 4, 1774, he met Francis Asbury
Francis Asbury
Bishop Francis Asbury was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church, now The United Methodist Church in the United States...
who would be his friend throughout the remainder of his life. Asbury asked Otterbein to be one of four clergy who would lay hands on him when Asbury was ordained (or consecrated) as Methodist bishop, December 27, 1784, when the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
was officially organized. Otterbein died on Wednesday, November 17, 1813. His funeral took place on Saturday, the 20th; the funeral sermon was preached by Rev. J. D. Kurtz in German and delivered in English translation by William Ryland
William Ryland
William Ryland was a Methodist clergyman who served several terms as Chaplain of the Senate.- Early years :William Ryland was born in Ireland in 1770. He came to the United States at the age of 18 and settled in Harford County, Maryland. For a time, he engaged in business in Baltimore; on May...
who would later serve several terms as Chaplain of the Senate. In a memorial sermon in that same year, Asbury called him “the great, the holy Otterbein.”
Officially Otterbein remained in good standing as a German Reformed clergyman until his death, but his work led inexorably to the formation of a new Protestant denomination, the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination based in Huntington, Indiana. It is a Protestant denomination of episcopal structure, Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities of 18th century Pennsylvania, as well as close...
. In 1798 Otterbein called a conference of clergy, including Boehm, to be held at Otterbein's Baltimore church. They took the first steps toward organizing the denomination. Two years later, in 1800, another conference took more organizational steps, including the decision to use a German translation of the Methodist Episcopal book of discipline. In their conversations those present used words such as “society,” “association,” and “fellowship,” but not the word “church.” They began formally calling themselves a “church” in 1814, after Otterbein’s death.
In spite of his reluctance to form a church, the younger men in his movement began conducting themselves as if they were clergy, including administration of sacraments, so seven weeks before his death, Otterbein ordained three of his workers: Christian Newcomer
Christian Newcomer
Christian Newcomer was an American farmer and preacher, who was elected on 5 May 1813 as the third Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.-Ordination:...
, Joseph Hoffman, and Frederick Schaffer. Newcomer was elected bishop after Otterbein’s death.
On April 19, 1762, Otterbein married Susan Le Roy of Lancaster, who died April 22, 1768. He suffered great grief because of his wife’s death, and he never married again.
Augustus W. Drury wrote the biography of Otterbein in 1884.