Clerical Collegiality in Colonial Pennsylvania

Abstract: A paper written in the 1880s by the German-American historian Julius Sachse was discovered in the parish archive of an episcopal church. The church's archivist made a copy of the paper and handed it to the Lutheran author of this article, who served the congregation as its Sabbatical Pastor in 2023. The paper focused on the ministry of the Reverend William Currie. Sachse also mentioned a German worship service by Henry Mühlenberg in Currie's church in 1750. Mühlenberg described the service in his Journals but did not name the church. Rereading the Journals, Correspondence, and Halle Reports, considering this event, clarified several notable aspects of ministry in colonial Pennsylvania. It is a story of cooperation between Lutherans, Anglicans, and others who worked together for the sake of the gospel in the Delaware Valley.