Remmer Janssen

Remmer Janssen (born November 6, 1850 in Werdumer Altendeich , East Frisia; † May 18, 1931 in Egels near Aurich ) was an Evangelical Lutheran pastor in Strackholt / East Frisia and a well-known East Frisian revival preacher .

Life

Remmer Janssen was born in Werdumer Altendeich / Ostfriesland as the son of a wealthy farmer. After graduating from high school Ulricianum in Aurich, he studied theology at the universities of Leipzig and Göttingen against the resistance of his parents . After a vicariate in Nesse / Altkreis Norden , he was appointed pastor to the Evangelical Lutheran parish of Strackholt / Aurich district . Remmer Janssen died in Egels near Aurich in 1931 . His grave is in the Strackholter cemetery.

Remmer Janssen was celibate , but raised around 30 orphans in his rectory .

plant

Soon after he took up his post in Strackholt, the number of people attending the church grew - despite long sermons. From 1880, an average of around 1,000 people attended the service , so the church had to be expanded considerably. For many years around 700 people gathered for the weekly Bible study , some of whom made long journeys. The new life in the church had an impact: the liturgy of worship was changed, and the prescribed liturgical prayers were replaced by freely formulated prayer. Janssen attached great importance to the church singing and saw to it that new sacred songs were introduced. He also encouraged people to gather in apartments and houses for home devotions and prayer groups with great success. Due to the awakening, the Strackholter restaurants had to close.

Janssen's preaching had three purposes: repentance and conversion , sanctification and healing , and encouragement for a missionary lifestyle. For a good sermon - said Janssen to his seminarians - the following basic rules should be observed:

• Text compulsory
• logical connection
• psychological progress
• happy congregation singing
• good sermon sound
• the whole thing not too long
• The "I" and "we" don't need too much, certainly not to honor you.
• The "you" and "her" use often, with Nathan say: "You are the man!"
• The "he" and "she" don't need too much, because they rarely lead to the goal.
• The pronoun “man” is indefinite and doesn't move anyone who hears it.

His funeral sermons are also unforgettable , in which the life of the deceased was reported without make-up and at the same time the mourning meeting was called upon to repent .

Janssen worked almost exclusively in East Frisia, but he always had Jesus' worldwide mission in mind. In this context, the Strackholter mission festivals, which Janssen brought to life around 1882, have become famous. He also founded a missionary seminar at his place of employment in 1886 , which lasted until 1914 and paved the way for many young men to enter the field mission .

In a review of Remmer Janssen's life path, it says, among other things: “Pastor Remmer Janssen was unique as a person, preacher and pastor. The effect he had outshone all others who were active in the same profession in his environment. To do the same seemed completely impossible. "(Jann Berghaus, District President)

See also

• Franz Klusner

literature

• Remmer Janssen (J. Mindermann, ed.): From the mystery of Christ - devotions (1971)
• Günther Maske: Remmer Janssen - The Life of an East Frisian Awakening Preacher (Hamburg oJ)
• Günther Maske: Remmer Janssen - a letter from Christ (Ostgroßefehn 1953)

Individual evidence

1. ^ The grave of Remmer Janssen on the website www.grabsteine-ostfriesland.de; accessed on January 11, 2014