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Johannes Evangelista Gossner (14-12-1773 - 30-03-1858)
Sketch of his Life
Dr. Klaus Roeber:

I.  Childhood and Youth 1773 - 1797

J.E. Gossner originates from a Roman-catholic family from Hausen in Suebia, Southwest-Germany)  to nine brothers and sisters he came as the tenth.  His baptizing day on December 14th 1773 is considered as his birthday.  According to catholic custom he got a name day.  That is December 27th - day of John the Evangelist.  The name turned into the program of his life:  He became a preacher of the gospel, as also John as evangelist testifies in the Bible.

After his school time in Waldtstaetten and Augsburg, university studies followed in Dillingen (philosophy and physics) and Ingolstadt (Theology).  In 1796, he received the priest consecration, then visited the seminar for priests in Pfaffenhausen, became Kaplan (Chaplain) in Stoffenried and Neuburg.  Here friends helped him - in 1797 - on to a new understanding of faith: Out from thinking of enlightenment and the spirit of the time ("Zeitgeist") of the French Revolution, away from the church dogmatic teaching, and towards the Bible and to renewing acts of faith.

II.  Moved Years and moving Times 1797 - 1811

Gossner's new teachers were the preachers of the revivalist movement M. Boos and M. Sailer.  Therefore, Gossner was observed, suspected and - being Chaplain in Augsburg 1802 - even punished with detention in Goeggingen.  During this time in prison, the country got a new government under Napoleon.  The power of the church was limited, and the "Holy Roman Empire of German Nation" was dissolved.  Now Gossner, in 1803, was rehabilitated and (took up the) parish priest in Dirlewang.  He served as pastor and pastoral counselling, which made him the nursing auxiliary of the wounded ones from Napoleon's war courses, and a social worker in destroyed families of war confusions.  The Lady - Parish worker Maria Ida Bauberger remained at his side supporting him since.  Gossner spread his thoughts in writings and books.  The booklet "The Human Heart" (-Errors and Ways of the Heart and Home-Coming to God-) became world-wide known.  After serious illness, he followed the urge of his protestant friend C.F. Spittler to join him in Basel.  There he took over the work as a secretary of the interdenominational "Christianity Association" in 1811.  The members engaged for a biblical renewal of faith and of the churches at many places in Europe.

III.  Church Ministry - Honour and the Burdens of Church Politics 1811-1819

In 1811, Gossner was called to the ministry in Munich, residence of the King of Bavaria since 1806.  Gossner was listened to and paid attention in Sunday schools and in Bible interpretations in large meetings.  He practised social work as well as he celebrated lively services and worships.  All this has been finished, when state and church restored the old conditions-after the victory to overcome Napoleon- in Vienna in 1815.  Now also Gossner had to leave the Kingdom of Bavaria and went to Prussia where a protestant king was ruling.  But even there, in 1819, Gossner only got a temporary assignment as teacher in religious instruction.

IV.  The first Gossner Congregation in St. Petersburg 1820-1824

In Duesseldorf in 1820, Gossner received the appointment from Zar Alexander I. to become a minister to the catholic Maltheser church in St. Petersburg.  The Russian Emperor aimed at spiritual renewal for Russia.  He had arranged for and established a Bible company for Russia, and thus in the Bible translator Gossner he found the preacher Gossner for his plans for reform.  It was him who stressed further the priority importance of the renewal of heart and mindset, and beyond this, he also sought to win influence on the Orthodoxy over personalities of public life.  Gossner counselled and practiced out social work.  In Holy Communion, he shared both: Bread and Wine to the people.  He felt strong about the approaching of the churches and denominations for large part of Russia.  The goals of politics though were directed towards confessionalism and nationalism.  Upon order of State Chancellor Fuerst Metternich the Zar was forced in 1824 to expel Gossner from Russia back to Germany. Gossners legacy to the St. Petersburg congregation is the song: "Bless us and take care on us..... As well as the book.. Little Treasure Box" (1824).  In the preface he explains the Christian motives of his service (1. Peter 2, 17), and he asks whether the Christian church regents of the so called ,,Holy Alliance" only might have misunderstood his concern?

V.  Being catholic - becoming protestant - remaining ecumenical 1824-1826

State and church politics had understood the fact that they could not oppose anything to the spirit of Gossner and refused to him an employment at schools or churches in Germany.  In contrast, the friends of the free churches in Hamburg, in Leipzig and landlords' on estates and farms of the aristocracy in Silesia had understood him.  It was there that he got in touch with the core of protestant communities of Brethren in the Morvian Church.  They were shaped by the biblical spirit of mission inspired by Luther's reformation and of Zinzendorfs godliness and piety.  Gossner wanted to become member there and has not decided by his own mind but mentioning the Daily Watchword and drawing lots.  He did not receive agreement though.  But now, after long years of internal struggle since 1811, he converted to the Protestant Church.  This was expressed on July 23rd 1826, participating in the Holy Communion in a protestant church-service at Koenigshain/Silesia.  (Southeast-Germany).  His friends have seen fortitude to him, now to apply for an acknowledgment as a church-official protestant preacher.  Thus, he went to Berlin, and since October 12th 1826, he lived in the house of a high governmental officer in this city.  At the beginning of December 1826, he lived in the house of a high governmental officer in this city.  At the beginning of December 1826, he moved into a flat in the BruederStr.  He asked Ida Bauberger and the cook Nanny from Leipzig to follow and join.

VI.  The Assistant- Pastor in Berlin as Helper of the Poor in Berlin 1826 - 1829

Gossner applied for pastor's position on January 12th, 1827, at the Protestant Royal Konsistorium in Berlin.  On December 17th 1827, he passed the church examination.  His first working place was in the Sophien-congregation and their downtown-area, where the downtrodden people were living.  Just there used to live immigrants and job seekers in misery.  Soon, the local pastors refused co-operation with Gossner.  He found a new place as an assistant pastor merely in the Luisenstadt church starting from May 1827, and he moved into a simple flat for rent in the street Alte JakobStr. 102.  Among his neighbours, he found good-willing members of the St. George and Elizabeth parish who shared life and established kindergartens and Sunday schools together with him.  For this work he earned much agreement from the parish members, however not from the office-holders.  Starting from 1827, he found a new task as prison chaplain and as a preacher in a social facility, based in former barracks in Berlin.  Only two ministers were dared to open their pulpits for Gossner in 1828: Stobwasser (Moravian Church) and Professor Schleiermacher (Humboldt-University) in the Church of Holy Trinity.  Gossner 'confessed' in a letter being "tired of Berlin".  But in the contrary, he was not at all tired towards mission.

VII.  Witness/martyria - Service/diakonia - communion/koinonia 1829-1846

Gossner applied again to the Bethlehem church, after he had tried this a first time in 1827 - in vain, where the ruler had a strong saying on the choice of the pastor.  On March 31st 1829 - before Eastern at the beginning of the Holy Week - Gossner was ordained as a "temporary preacher" at the Bethlehem congregation.  At the side of the pastors Elsner and Koeppe, who were in charge of the Moravian and the Bohemian part of the Presbyterian denomination, the Lutheran denominations were assigned to Gossner.  Gossner moved now into the pastor's house of the Bethlehem church in the WilhelmStr.  29, and remained there for 15 years.  It became Gossner's longest residence time at one place.

(1)  As his deceased predecessor Johannes Jaenicke, the founder of the first German mission school, also Gossner was appointed as his successor into the committee of the new "Berlin-Mission-Society" in 1831.  Gossner preached on occasion of the first worship to ordain and send missionaries of "Berlin-Mission" on May 29th 1833.  He reminded the fact that the church not only 'bear' missionaries, but rather become a missionary church in all her fibres.  For the first time, here, Gossner introduced the notion of the integration of church and mission.  (Of course, Gossner made himself part in this vision, and he, in 1834, founded the magazine "The Bee on the Mission Field".  Therein he reported on mission developments outside the national borders.

(2)  (Nevertheless, at the same time, Gossner was very much connected with the mission within the national borders.  Following his words, "Foreign mission" and "Inner Mission" are "twin sisters and favourite daughters of Jesus".  Saying this, Gossner was an early advocate of a Holistic mission.  This also took shape in the establishment of even more childcare houses since 1834 in the WilhelmStr. 21, Frankfurter Str. 58 and LinienStr. 19 as well as at other places in Berlin.  For the first time, Gossner has founded working groups for nursing of the sick, one for men in springtime 1833 at MauerStr. 85, and in the same year also for women.  This association, in 1836, also acquired a dwelling with patient rooms for 15 beds in the HirschelStr.  It's here where the history of the Elizabeth hospital began, which was inaugurated on October 18th 1837 with 40 beds - as the first protestant hospital of Berlin, including nurse training school.

(3)  A further highlight in the year 1837, the one hundred-year jubilee of the Bethlehem church (1737-1837), was prepared in the year 1836.

Gossner had given up his work in the Berlin-Mission committee in the beginning of 1836.  But now, for a first time, at the end of the year, on December 12th 1836, six young craftsmen applied to Gossner for mission field training.  Together with six further candidates, they were sent out to their service in Australia on July 9th 1837 in the Bethlehem church as missionaries.  In the year after, he ordained- for a first time - and sent missionaries to India at the banks of the Ganges River, known as Ganges-Mission.

The anniversary year 1837 very visibly brought Gossner's faith conviction to its representation: Being Christian means Witness and Service and Community-life.  The visible expression of his vision was (1) church with pulpit and church-music with and upon three protestant denominations based on the common)  Bible, (2) the hospital with (nurse school) for service to society, and (3)  Gossner's Mission Training and Seminary for missionaries to the worldwide community.

VIII.  Retained in Witness - Service - Communion 1846-1858

The years following served the strengthening of the achieved, even surrounded by many misunderstandings and threatening.

(1)  Gossner had to justify the legal standard of the ordination and sending-out in front of the church authorities.  This discussion lasted until the year 1842.  He was successful, and received the legal acknowledgement.

(2)  Gossner retained the unity of Foreign and Inner Mission.  He maintained ground in the (i)  guidance of ministry and parish administration as well as counselling,

(ii)  of hospital association and kindergarten work,

(iii)  of mission school and mission magazine.  In himself, he embodied a community in witness and service and communion.  With the sending out of missionaries to Chotanagpur the only mission field from Gossner's missionaries has started on the way to a community of witness and service and communion: the later autonomous Gossner Evangelical-Lutheren Church in Chotanagpur and Assam.  This was the last sending worshop from the Bethlehemskirche, just like a patrimony - mandate.

(3)  Gossner has experienced, that he gathered a person - based congregation around himself.  With his retirement in 1847, life- and faith-based community developed of many parts of Berlin.  He had feared that the congregation and his works of faith could be destroyed by the March revolution in 1848.  Gossners benefactors wanted to flee.  He called them back.

(4)  Gossner mourned around his life companion. After heavy suffering Maria Ida Bauberget died to 25.10.1850.  She donated her heritage to benefit Gossners mission institutes.  Sister Alwine cared for Gossner until his death in 1858.

(5)  Gossner carried care and welfare for the growing church in Chotanagpur.  There, his missionaries fled the war of independence (mutiny) in 1857, which was supposed to bring the liberation from the colonial power England.  After the victory of England, Gossner wanted to secure this work by delivering the responsibility to an English mission company.  It did not receive any answer.

(6)  Up to his death, Gossner remained the "Father Gossner" for the missionaries and for the people who found to the Christian faith.  In his retirement still Gossner sent 29 missionaries, also into new areas like Java, New Guinea, South Africa, Polynesia, New Zealand, and Mauritius.  Altogether, he trained, sent out 140 missionaries and their wives and brides and accompanied them through communication in letters and prayers.

(7)  Gossner entrusted his caring about the future of his faith works to Dean Rev. Carl Buechsel.  He was a pastor of the local parish of St. Matthaeus:  The hospital and mission house were build on its ground.  On Gossner's request, he took over the responsibility of his endowments, foundations and his seeds unfolding.

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On March 30th 1858 at noon time, Johannes Evangelista Gossner dies.  Dean Rev. Buechsel preaches to his funeral on April 3rd.  He says about Gossner: "He has prayed alright the walls of the hospital, he has the hearts of the nurses in the hospital, he has prayed alright the hearts of the rich that they opened their hands far beyond borders of our Father Land, he has prayed alright the mission station in India and here on Earth, he has by his prayer held and carried the hearts of the missionaries in the temptations and dangers, and he has by his prayer watered the work and accompanied it far out into the whole world.  Thus, his spiritual children have not only gathered here at his grave, but he has spread them plentifully far beyond our Nation.  The Old Gossner was a Devotee."

Dr. Klause Roeber (M.St)
Honourable Member,
Commission on Mission History. G.E.L. Church.

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