Frederick Christian Schaeffer (12 November 1792, in Germantown, Pennsylvania – 26 March 1832, in

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) was a

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of the

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Biography

His parents were Frederick David Schaeffer and Rosina Rosenmiller. His father was a Lutheran clergyman, as were his brothers

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, Charles Frederick, and Frederick Solomon, and his nephew Charles William. He studied the classics partly at the Germantown academy and partly under his father, with whom he also read theology, and in 1812 was licensed to preach. In the same year he became pastor of the Lutheran congregation at

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, where he remained three years. There he developed services in both

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and

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without controversy, an almost unique feat for a Lutheran congregation in his times. In 1815 he accepted a call to United Congregations of New York City, where he preached in German and English, a challenge which had driven the previous pastor to resign. He opposed the New York City tendency of English-speaking Lutherans to join with congregations of the Episcopal Church. In 1823, he organized St. Matthew's English-speaking Lutheran congregation within the United Congregations. Frederick William Geissenhainer was retained to be co-pastor for the German-speaking congregations. Soon afterward difficulties about the church property arose between the German and English congregations. Schaeffer resigned, and organized St. James's English Lutheran congregation, which he served until his death. He received the degree of

D.D. A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (i.e., Christian theology and ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the English-speaking world than elsewhere. In the United Kin ...

in 1830 from Columbia, and in the same year he was elected professor of the German language and literature there. He was deeply interested in the study of natural science, and received from the

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a gold medal for his valuable services in the interest of this study. He published ''The Blessed Reformation and Parables and Parabolic Sayings'' (New York, 1817), and several sermons.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schaeffer, Frederick Christian 19th-century American Lutheran clergy 1792 births 1832 deaths Columbia University alumni Columbia University faculty Germantown Academy alumni Clergy from Philadelphia 19th-century Lutheran theologians

Biography

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