Liebenzell Mission

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Liebenzell Mission
logo
legal form Profit company
founding November 13, 1899
founder Heinrich Coerper
Seat Bad Liebenzell , Germany
motto With God from person to person
main emphasis Missionary and social projects, training, qualification of multipliers, medical work, help for street children
Action space worldwide
people Johannes Luithle , Martin Auch, Thomas Haid, Volker Gäckle
sales 13.9 million euros (2019)
Employees 240 missionaries in 25 countries
Website www.liebenzell.org
Mission house

The Liebenzeller Mission (LM) is a Protestant mission society based in Bad Liebenzell and, as a free organization within the Evangelical Church in Germany, is also a member of the Diaconal Work . The first part of the name stands for the seat of the organization, the spa town of Bad Liebenzell, Mission stands for the purpose of the organization: People in different countries around the world are invited to believe in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, life support is offered regardless of social, religious, political and national origin.

LM has legally independent branches in Germany , USA , Japan , Canada , Switzerland , Austria and Hungary . These branches have come together to form the Liebenzeller Mission International (LMI).

The director is Pastor Johannes Luithle , who took over from Detlef Krause in January 2018 .

history

Founding history

The Liebenzeller Mission emerged from the China Inland Mission . On November 13, 1899, the German branch was founded by Heinrich Coerper on the initiative of Hudson Taylor . In 1902 the Mission moved from Hamburg to the small town of Liebenzell, which was only to be given the addition of "Bad" in 1926. Already in 1904 wanted and on July 6th, 1906 the mission society was renamed independently by the English organization and in "Liebenzeller Mission". Since 1937 a "permanent mission show has been available for inspection on the premises in Haus Elim, so that the individual work areas of the Liebenzell Mission can be clearly shown to the friends of the mission". This mission museum is now open to all visitors.

Heinrich Witt was the first missionary to travel to China in the founding year of 1899 . The China Inland Mission assigned the Chinese province of Hunan as a work area, where work among the blind began and hospitals, schools and orphanages were established. Up to 80 missionaries with 202 Chinese employees worked at 21 main and 172 outstations. After the communists came to power in China, all missionaries had to leave the country. In 1953 the last of them returned to Germany.

The Liebenzeller Mission during the National Socialist era

Like many other Pietist persons and works, the Liebenzeller Mission was mostly nationally conservative and loyal to the Kaiser. Because liberalism, socialism and the Weimar Republic had negative connotations in these circles. A latent anti-Semitism belonged to this view earlier, which could easily be justified theologically by the curse of the Messiah's murder . In 1936, the mission leadership under Ernst Buddeberg ordered that Jewish people and doctors should be avoided. Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist movement and rule were often viewed positively and in some cases actively supported. About half of the German missionaries in China were even party members, but there were also some staunch opponents of the Nazis. After the Second World War, only one of the mission leaders, Adolf Sauter, publicly showed repentance. Otherwise, decades of repression and silence about the shameful, ominous partial collaboration with the National Socialist regime began.

As part of its Whitsun mission festival in May 2015, the organization, headed by Detlef Krause, published its story from the time of National Socialism . The management of the LM had asked the historian Helmuth Egelkraut to research this time. According to Egelkraut, there was an anti-Judaist mood at the time and Hitler's takeover was welcomed. The then mission director Ernst Buddeberg “represented an anti-Semitism that was in no way different from the hostility towards Jews in his environment”. Today's management expressed its dismay at the involvement of the mission work with National Socialism. With a public act of penance, the LM confessed to this dark chapter of its history and asked for forgiveness.

Work areas

In contrast to OMF International (formerly Overseas Mission Community or China Inland Mission), the Liebenzeller Mission was not limited to Asia. It works with around 240 missionaries in 25 countries (including Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Burundi, Zambia, Japan, Spain, France, Russia), making it one of the largest German missionary societies. In Germany, LM is involved with missionaries in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Neubrandenburg and Bad Doberan) and in Berlin. The LM is involved in youth work in cooperation with the youth association Decided for Christ (EC); it works non-denominationally. Most missionaries are involved in evangelism and church planting. This is done in cooperation with local Christian communities and partner missions.

The Liebenzeller Mission's areas of activity are:

Missionary work abroad

Over two thirds of LM's financial resources flow into its commitment abroad. The work focuses on:

  • Foundation of Christian communities
  • Support local churches
  • Theological training
  • Medical work
  • Social projects
  • Disaster relief

Short-term
missions The LM offers the following programs for short-term missions in its mission countries:

  • impact classic: For a period of between 3 and 11 months as a community helper in mission projects, in child and youth work and as a learning helper in families.
  • impact teams: for a period of between 3 and 11 months in teams of 4 to 8 young adults, work in a social missionary and practical manner. The mission is accompanied by a discipleship program.
  • impact projects: For a duration of 3 weeks or more. These are time-based on ongoing projects. Activities in the context of social missionary work such as kids clubs, religious lessons, prison missions, church services, evangelistic missions, training missions and practical work.
  • International Youth Voluntary Service (IJFD): For a period of between 6 and 18 months for participants between the ages of 18 and 26 and at least 25 seminar days. Assignments abroad in the social or ecological area as well as in peace and reconciliation work.

work in Germany

  • Kinderzentrale (KidZ)
    Christian events for children are carried out in communities and schools. In addition, further training for employees in youth work is on offer. The KidZ operates an internet service for children called “Mäxis Welt”.
  • Teens in Mission (TiM)
    The teenage work offers a discipleship school under the name “Fire Mountain Training School”, the “Youth Prayer Congress” (YouPC) and missionary outreaches (ReachOuts), e. B. Reach (deployments in Hesse, Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt).
  • Pastoral care
    A pastoral care center offers personal advice as well as training courses and lectures. The pastoral counseling center (ISBB) has been a branch of the Liebenzeller community association since January 1st, 2011.
  • Evangelism
    Evangelists are available for evangelistic outreaches, lectures and advice for congregations.
  • Intercultural teams in Germany
    The team members are committed to helping foreign students and people with a migration background in Germany. In cooperation with the Leonberg Hope Bearers Foundation, there have been two “Hope Houses” in Bad Liebenzell since 2018, an integration model where IHL students live with refugees from Africa and the Middle East.
  • Events for young people take place every year:
    • Youth Prayer Congress (1200)
    • Children's Mission Festival (5500)
    • Teenage Mission Meetings (2000)
    • eXchange (800)
Headquarters in Bad Liebenzell

Other Events:

  • Seniors Congress
  • Singles Congress
  • Pentecost mission festival
  • Autumn Mission Festival

Media work

publishing company

The Liebenzeller Mission publishing house, founded in 1906, published works by its employees, among other things, was sold in 1991 to the then Johannis-Verlag in Lahr / Black Forest and continued there under the independent label Edition VLM .

Magazines

Bookstore

Since 1906, the Liebenzeller Mission bookstore has been represented in Bad Liebenzell, one of the largest Christian bookstores in Germany. In 2009 it was taken over by the Christian Media Foundation and continued as an SCM Shop.

Television productions

The television magazine "Weltweit am Leben" is broadcast weekly on Bibel TV .

Video podcast

Since April 2020 a podcast “Grow together” has been offered, an evangelistic project by, with and for women, initiated by Judith Ebert, Larissa Meister, Luisa Rösch and Juliana König, who report on their personal experiences with faith. A missionary has a say in each clip. At the end there is a call to the audience to become active themselves.

education

The aim of the Liebenzeller Mission is to enable theologically qualified training that motivates people to be involved in missionary activities and enables them to speak and relate. An important component is therefore a mentoring program that helps students in the field of character development and spiritual formation.

Theological Seminar (ThSLM)

The theological seminar of the Liebenzeller Mission (ThSLM) was headed from September 2006 by Volker Gäckle. Its courses have now expired. Degrees offered until then were a BA and MA in Theology and a BA in Congregation Education, awarded by Middlesex University , UK . The training was academically qualified and designed to be practical.

International University of Liebenzell (IHL)

Since September 1, 2011, the Liebenzell International University (IHL) has started teaching as the successor to the Theological Seminary. It offers the following courses:

  • Bachelor courses (BA) in Protestant Theology, in "Theology / Pedagogy in an Intercultural Context" and - this course is unique in Germany - in "Theology / Social Work in an Intercultural Context".
  • Masters courses (MA) in "Integrative Counseling" and - in collaboration with the Tabor Evangelical University in Marburg - in Protestant theology.

Intercultural Theological Academy (ITA)

The Intercultural Theological Academy (ITA) is an alternative training concept. Since September 1, 2012, it has been offering a practical course that can be completed in Germany or abroad after the first three years of study. The community internship as a community helper follows after the fourth year of study at the Academy for World Mission (AWM) in Korntal, which concludes with the "BA - Focus: Intercultural Studies" via Columbia International University (CIU).

Study and living community (SLG)

The study and living community (SLG) under the direction of Tobias Schuckert offers a holistic study for the students of the IHL as well as the ITA. The SLG was founded in 2011 and has proven itself as a study and life model.

Sorority

The sisterhood is an order-like, evangelical community of around 140 sisters who live celibacy as long as they belong to it. You are not making a vow, but a promise. Sisters in preparation get to know the community by initially living and sharing life in the nurses' house on the LM premises. Training at LM or, depending on the assignment, at other training centers is possible.

Since 1900 women were accepted who were suitable for employment in China and later - from 1906 - in the South Seas. The first sisters left for China in 1903. They previously completed a theological training for the preaching service . From 1913, sisters were also used in Germany in community work. It was not until 1922 that the sisters who worked in Germany were given a nurse's costume at their request. From 1930 sisters were also used in nursing. At the same time missionaries were sent to new areas. In addition to the missionaries, sisters from the Liebenzell Sisterhood also traveled to Japan and Palau in Micronesia as missionary sisters . Later they also worked as theological lecturers, in guest work, in administration and in community nursing. It was not until 1936 that the sisterhood was constituted as a sister association and joined the Association of German Community Deaconess Mother Houses based in Aue, which was a member of the deaconry community founded by Auguste Mohrmann during the Nazi era . To this day, the Liebenzell Sisterhood, under the direction of Superior Johanna Hägele, plays an important role in the work of the Liebenzell Mission.

financing

It is financed through donations from individuals, foundations and bequests . In 2018, the Liebenzeller Mission received 11.8 million euros in donations and almost one million euros in bequests. The donation requirement for 2019 was estimated at 13.9 million euros. The work of the LM is also supported by volunteer work. In addition to their financial contributions, supporters also provide time and expertise.

Mission leadership

partner

The Liebenzeller Mission is a free mission organization that works closely with the following pietistic community associations within the framework of the Protestant regional church :

Subsidiaries

Free time and travel

What began in 1953 with the singing camps of the missionary sister Lydia Ewald, expanded until 1971, under the leadership of Albert Weidle, the first leisure brochure with 17 camps in four countries was published. In 1996 the work was continued under its then managing director Paul-Gerhardt Koch as Liebenzeller Mission Freizeiten und Reisen GmbH . This resulted in one of the largest Christian tour operators in the German-speaking region. The current managing director has been Thomas Trommer since May 2015. Every year, more than 250 group trips in around 50 countries with around 7,000 participants are put together and offered as package deals. The camps are characterized by spiritual programs.

Christian guest houses Monbachtal

In 1975 LM took over the sponsorship of today's Christian guest houses in Monbachtal , a holiday complex, family holiday and conference center with Christian programs.

Awards

  • In 2017, the mission company was awarded the "Top 100" seal by Ranga Yogeshwar on behalf of compamedia as part of an innovation competition . "The Liebenzeller Mission proves that a Christian mission society can also be innovative," said the jury. As the sponsor of the Liebenzell International University, it is the only German aid organization to offer its 250 students their own academic training. Abroad, programs are developed from the outset together with locals so that they can continue the aid measures independently in the long term. This is also the case with the “Shape Life” project, a work among young people in the socially disadvantaged areas in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.
  • In 2018, the mission company achieved first place in “Germany's most valuable employer for the common good of its region” (in the Calw district ) in a survey commissioned by Wirtschaftswoche .
  • In 2020 she was awarded the “Aloys-Henhöfer Prize” for the TV program “Help, I'm a Jew - Anti-Semitism Today” from the series “Alive around the world”. With the film, the mission work produced a counter-element to attacks on Jewish communities.

Personalities

documentation

The documentary The Great Navigator accompanies the missionary Jakob Walter on his first steps as a missionary in Neubrandenburg.

literature

in order of appearance

  • Ernst Buddeberg: To praise and glory: Becoming and growing the Liebenzeller mission . Bookstore of the Liebenzeller Mission 1934.
  • Paul-Gerhardt Möller (Ed.): Chinas Millions: 50 Years of the Liebenzeller Mission 1899–1949 , in the company magazine Mitteilungen der Liebenzeller Mission , 4th quarter 1949.
  • Eduard Kühn: Becoming and growing the Liebenzeller mission . Lahr-Dinglingen 1951.
  • 60 years of the Liebenzell mission. Festschrift for the 60th anniversary of the Liebenzeller Mission on November 13, 1959 . Bookstore of the Liebenzeller Mission 1959.
  • Kurt E. Koch : Heinrich Coerper and his work. Publishing house of the Liebenzeller Mission , Bad Liebenzell 1964.
  • Wilhelm Steinhilber: Online all over the world. Festschrift for the 75th anniversary of the Liebenzeller Mission. With appendix: The Martyrs of the Liebenzeller Mission . Verlag der Liebenzeller Mission, Bad Liebenzell 1974, ISBN 3-88002-012-4 .
  • Wilhelm Steinhilber: The fire-breathing mountain. From the early days of the Liebenzell Mission. Verlag der Liebenzeller Mission, Lahr / Schwarzwald 1985, ISBN 3-88002-050-7 .
  • Karl Kalmbach : With God from person to person. From the story of the Liebenzell Mission. Verlag der Liebenzeller Mission, Lahr / Schwarzwald 1999, ISBN 3-88002-664-5 .
  • Erika Leimenstoll, Gudrun Neumaier (Ed.): 73 good reasons to rely on God . Verlag der Liebenzeller Mission, Bad Liebenzell 2009, ISBN 978-3-921113-57-8 (on the over 100-year history of the Liebenzeller Sisterhood).
  • Helmuth Egelkraut : The Liebenzeller Mission and National Socialism. A study of selected areas, people and positions. With a statement by the Liebenzeller Mission Committee (= Interculturality & Religion. Volume 3). Lit Verlag, Münster 2015, ISBN 978-3-643-12980-2 .
  • Elmar Spohn : Between adaptation, affinity and resistance. The faith and community missions in the time of National Socialism. Contributions to missiology and intercultural theology, Volume 34, LIT Verlag, Münster 2016, ISBN 978-3-643-13213-0 , pp. 195–216.
  • Klaus Fiedler : The Faith Missions in Africa: History and Understanding of the Church. Luviri Press, 2018, ISBN 978-99960-66-00-9 .

Web links

Commons : Liebenzell Mission  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Official change of staff at the head of the Liebenzeller Mission , idea.de, report from January 14, 2018.
  2. ^ Magazine of the Liebenzeller Mission: Chinas Millions , June / July 1937, p. 83.
  3. Karl Kalmbach: With God from person to person. From the history of the Liebenzeller Mission , 1999, p. 69ff.
  4. israelnetz.com Johannes Gerloff: The Liebenzeller Mission and National Socialism , Israel Network December 11, 2015
  5. evangelisches-gemeindeblatt.de Andreas Steidel: Horrified by anti-Semitism , Evangelisches Gemeindeblatt für Württemberg 2015
  6. Elmar Spohn: Between adaptation, affinity and resistance. The faith and community missions in the time of National Socialism . In: Contributions to missiology and intercultural theology , Volume 34. LIT Verlag, Münster 2016, ISBN 978-3-643-13213-0 , pp. 154–177: Ernst Buddeberg, Liebenzeller Missionsleiter 1934–1953
  7. Helmuth Egelkraut: The Liebenzeller Mission and National Socialism. A study of selected areas, people and positions. With a statement from the Liebenzeller Mission Committee . Lit Verlag, Münster 2015.
  8. Gerhard Gronauer: Review of Helmuth Egelkraut, “Die Liebenzeller Mission and National Socialism” (2015), in: Journal for Bavarian Church History , Vol. 84 (2015), pp. 288–291, here 290.
  9. Debt thematized , schwarzwaelder-bote.de, message from May 26, 2015.
  10. Liebenzeller Mission with 307 employees ranks third among the largest Protestant mission organizations in Germany according to the number of employees, in: IdeaSpektrum , edition 11.2015, p. 13.
  11. LM short-term deployments ( memento from June 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), impact-teams.de, accessed on June 6, 2014.
  12. Three years after the triple catastrophe, erf.de, report from March 11, 2014.
  13. Liebenzeller Mission: Mäxis Welt ( Memento from October 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  14. Liebenzeller Mission: Teens in Mission
  15. ^ Initiative Pastoral Care - Advice - Education (ISBB) ( Memento from September 18, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), lgv.org, accessed on April 18, 2015.
  16. Focus on Mission . Edition 2009/4. (PDF; 1514 kB)
  17. Germany: Refugees and locals under one roof ( Memento from February 1, 2018 in the Internet Archive ), on www.ead.de, article from January 29, 2018.
  18. Children's mission festivals: God keeps his promises , idea.de, message from May 30, 2017.
  19. a b 100 years of literature dissemination . In: Freizeitung , No. 5/2006. ( Memento from January 23, 2016 on WebCite ) (PDF)
  20. Liebenzeller Mission: TV magazine in the media portal
  21. Liebenzell Mission: TV magazine
  22. New Christian video podcast wants to encourage women , idea.de, article from April 27, 2020.
  23. Bachelor courses in Bad Liebenzell , studieren-studium.com, accessed on February 4, 2017.
  24. IHL courses
  25. ^ Course of studies at the ITA
  26. Holistic study in the study and living community , liebezell.org, accessed on July 27, 2019.
  27. Sisterhood of the Liebenzeller Mission: that's us , liebezell.org, accessed on January 4, 2014
  28. Sisterhood of the Liebenzeller Mission: This is what our life looks like , liebezell.org, accessed on January 4, 2014.
  29. ^ Sisterhood of the Liebenzeller Mission: Preparation and Training , liebezell.org, accessed on January 4, 2014.
  30. Sisterhood of the Liebenzeller Mission: this is how it started , Liebezell.org, accessed on January 4, 2014.
  31. ^ The sisterhood of the Liebenzeller Mission during the Nazi era , in: Helmuth Egelkraut: Die Liebenzeller Mission und der Nationalozialismus , 2015, p. 153.
  32. Liebenzell Mission: Donation stand
  33. ↑ The 'Helfen aus Dank' foundation supports the Liebenzeller Mission , accessed on December 3, 2013.
  34. Donations in 2018 , accessed April 15, 2019.
  35. Liebenzeller Mission: Donation status , accessed on April 15, 2019
  36. Leisure and travel: This is how it began ( Memento from February 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), at www.liebenzell.org, accessed on February 22, 2014.
  37. ^ Missionswerk as the largest Christian tour operator celebrates its 40th anniversary , livenet.de, report from March 30, 2011.
  38. Paul-Gerhardt Koch is retiring , schwarzwaelder-bote.de, message from March 21, 2015.
  39. guesthouses Monbachtal , liebenzell.org, accessed on February 22, 2014.
  40. Liebenzell Mission: Top Innovator 2017 , top100.de
  41. "Top 100" seal: Liebenzeller Mission honored as particularly innovative. idea.de, June 26, 2017.
  42. WiWo ranking "Valuable employers": The south has the greatest density of global corporations , wiwo.de, article from January 7, 2019
  43. "Help, I'm a Jew": TV show by TV-BW on the topic of anti-Semitism awarded , pz-news.de, article from February 3, 2020.
  44. TV award for the Liebenzeller Mission broadcast , elk-wue.de, article from February 3, 2020.

Coordinates: 48 ° 46 ′ 18.4 "  N , 8 ° 43 ′ 46.9"  E