Ralph Eugene Diffendorfer
Encyclopedia
Ralph Eugene Diffendorfer (1879 – January 31, 1951) was an American
clergy
man, born at Hayesville
, Ohio
, and educated at Ohio Wesleyan University
, Drew Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary
. He was assistant secretary of the Epworth League
from 1902 to 1904, and from 1904 to 1916 was secretary of the Missionary Education Movement in the United States
and Canada
. The following year (1916–1917) he was educational secretary of the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension and the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was associate secretary of the Centenary Commission of the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension in 1918, and in 1919–1920 served as director of the Home Missions Survey of the Inter-church world movement. In 1920 he was appointed secretary of the department of education of the Committee on Conservation and Advance of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Chicago
. He was author of:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
man, born at Hayesville
Hayesville, Ohio
Hayesville is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 348 at the 2000 census.- History :The first settlers came to the Hayesville area in 1817. A post office for the settlers was established in 1827 at Hayes Cross Roads. Hayesville was laid out in Vermillion Township...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and educated at Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
, Drew Theological Seminary, and Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
. He was assistant secretary of the Epworth League
Epworth League
The Epworth League is a Methodist young adult association for individuals ages 18-35. It traces back to the founding of the organization by the United Methodist Church's predecessor denomination, the Methodist Episcopal church, formed in 1889 at Cleveland, Ohio, by the combination of five young...
from 1902 to 1904, and from 1904 to 1916 was secretary of the Missionary Education Movement in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The following year (1916–1917) he was educational secretary of the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension and the Board of Foreign Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was associate secretary of the Centenary Commission of the Board of Home Missions and Church Extension in 1918, and in 1919–1920 served as director of the Home Missions Survey of the Inter-church world movement. In 1920 he was appointed secretary of the department of education of the Committee on Conservation and Advance of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He was author of:
- Child Life in Mission Lands (1904)
- Junior Studies in the Life of ChristJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
(1904) - A Modern DiscipleDisciple (Christianity)In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
of Jesus Christ—David LivingstoneDavid LivingstoneDavid Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
(1913) - Thy Kingdom Come (1914)
- Missionary Education in Home and School (1917)
- The Church and the Community (1920)