“Even someone who is well-versed in the history and theology of the Protestant Reformation might not know much about the subject of this story: the church order…
So begins today’s story from Dr. Sky Michael Johnston.
For further reading:
James M. Estes, “Johannes Brenz and the Institutionalization of the Reformation in Württemberg,” Central European History 6 (1973)
Episode transcript:
https://skymichaeljohnston.com/90secnarratives/
Season 7: “Community”
Episode 8: “The Church Order in the Protestant Reformation”
Sky Michael Johnston:
Hello and welcome to 90 Second Narratives. I’m Sky Michael Johnston. Today I am contributing a story for this season’s theme: Community. Here is, “The Church Order in the Protestant Reformation.”
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Even someone who is well-versed in the history and theology of the Protestant Reformation might not know much about the subject of this story: the church order. Church orders, or Kirchenordnungen in German, were detailed and lengthy documents that gave instructions for all things related to church life in a given political province.
You may remember that in 1517 Martin Luther critiqued certain practices in the Roman Church in his famous 95 Theses. One could say his criticisms “went viral.” Luther became a celebrity. His popularity—and infamy—grew as his conflict with the Pope and leading Catholic theologians escalated over the following years. But a truly stunning aspect of the Reformation, is that Luther’s debates with Rome quickly developed into a firmly grounded and highly institutionalized church that rivalled the Catholic Church throughout Central Europe. Church orders were one of the most important mechanisms in that remarkable development.
Here are some of the topics you can find in sixteenth-century Protestant church orders. Instructions for conducting a Sunday church service including guidelines for sermons, prayers, music, and the administering of the sacraments. They also contained many instructions for building and maintaining a specific kind of religious community, not only within the four walls of the church, but in every part of a local society. There were instructions for when to ring the church bells and why. There were instructions for visitations—meetings between church leaders and common people to ensure proper adherence to doctrine and practices. And the church orders laid out the administration of the church which was deeply intertwined with the local government.
While the Reformation was originally a popular movement fueled by the energy of common people, the more enduring form of the movement also received considerable support from powerful local rulers. Church orders reveal the tremendous administrative and bureaucratic efforts that went into fostering the Protestant communities that changed the landscape of Christianity.
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If you are interested in learning more about the history of church orders in the Reformation, I would suggest an article by James M. Estes entitled, “Johannes Brenz and the Institutionalization of the Reformation in Württemberg.” It was published in the journal, Central European History, in 1973.
Thank you for joining me today. Please subscribe to 90 Second Narratives wherever your home for podcasts might be, and listen every week for your “little story with BIG historical significance.”