A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN PNG 

 The pioneer missionary was Rev John Flierl from a place called Buchof in Germany. He entered the seminary at Neuendettelsau with the desire to serve God on the mission field. At that time Australia was calling pastors to work amongst the aborigines. He left Germany in 1878 and arrived seven moths later. He walked a 600 mile journey to Bethesda on Cooper Creek where he worked among the Dieri tribe for 7 years. In 1885 Neuendettlsau called him to go to Papua New Guinea. His final entry to PNG was however delayed due to a 6 month wait at Cooktown before he was allowed to enter PNG. He eventually arrived at Finschhafen on the Steamer Ottilie on July 12 1886.

      Not only was it very difficult for him to become established in a new world where he was largely cut off from the outside world he also experienced some early resistance from the local people. Two other pastors soon joined him from Germany. The first baptism took place on August 20, 1899.

       The Rhenish Missionary Society soon followed by sending Pastor Thomas to Madang in 1887. Malaria took a heavy toll on the lives of these first missionaries and their families and quite a number died within their first years in their new country. Missionaries nevertheless continued to come inspite of this hardship.

       The work spread quickly so that outstations manned by missionaries began appearing on the northern coast with Finschahhafen and Madang as their centres.

       The entire mission field came under the care of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Australia in 1921 with Pastor Theile as its Director for some years to come. This came about as the result of World War I after which New Guinea (not Papua) was transferred from German administration and came under the administrative care of Australia.

      The American Lutheran Church entered the scene in 1922 with the arrival of Rev. Pietz.  Nineteen pastors and ten lay missionaries were soon to follow. About the same time Australia sent three men Radke, Obst and Deutscher to Finschhafen to assist in the work there.

        It was thereupon decided that there needed to be a clear division of the field amongst the two German societies and the Americans. As a result the Americans worked in the area between the two already well established stations at Finschhafen and Madang. Places like Heldsbach, Sattelberg, Hopoi, Ulap, Sio, the Siassis Islands, Madang, Karkar Island, Amele, Bongu were well known names already at that time.

          In 1932 with the withdrawal of the Rehnish Mission Society the entire Madang mission area came under the American Lutheran Church. The Australian Lutheran Church continued to send staff to both mission groups. Lae also became an important centre during this time.

          In 1936 the mission work in Siassi was handed over to the Australian Lutheran Mission (ELCA). Their work later expanded in to the Highlands to Menyamya where they worked amongst the Kukakuka tribes. They established a series of other stations throughout the valley, started schools and other training centres.

          The discovery of gold in PNG drove gold miners to ever wider areas. In 1937 Guinea Airways had grown to become the largest air transport company in the world. People for different reasons began to look for what was further afield. The history of gold miners has been well recorded and needs no repeating. It is interesting to compare relevant dates of their treks through the Highlands with ours in this period of time.

      The Finschhafen Mission entered the Highlands via their Markham station at Kaiapit but were at first repelled due to a hostile reception in the Punebassa region. In 1921 Missionary L. Flierl returned and began the first outstation in the Highlands in 1923 with Evangelist Gapecnuo at Binemarian. Arau and Rihona soon followed. During the next 7 years W. Flierl, W. Bergmann and G. Pilhofer had walked into the Highlands as far as the Bena Bena Valley. Stations were started at Kambaidam and Onerungka.

        A group from the Madang Mission comprised of the men Pietz, H. Hannemann, Foege, Mager, Welsch and Radke left in 1934 and established a station at Kerowagi in the Whaggi Valley.

        In 1934 the Ega Station was opened up at Chimbu under the care of Rev. W. Bergmann. In the same year the pastors Vicedom and Horrolt started Ogelbeng station near Mt Hagen.

         Further expansion was temporarily halted because a Catholic priest had been killed in the Upper Chimbu. The Government now allowed missionaries to enter new areas only under permit. Even evangelists were required to leave their outstations and live on the main station for safety.

         Raipinka was started in 1935 by M. Zimmermann and Asaroka soon followed in 1936 with Pastor G. Hofmann as the first missionary.

         With the coming of World War II all missionaries and other expatriates were required to leave the country to return to their home lands leaving everything in the hands of the evangelists.

          Physically speaking the mission was badly hurt during those years. Houses, whole stations, buildings, boats were largely destroyed or badly damaged by bombing and other acts of war. People's gardens, pigs and their livelihood were often taken away from them. But the faith of our New Guinean people was not taken away from them. In fact many of them grew quite amazingly in their relationship with Christ during this sad period of absence.

          In 1945 Drs. Fricke and Kuder made a survey of the devastation that was everywhere and they reported. "The mission is gone but the church is still here'. A period of reconstruction and expansion followed that has rarely been paralleled in Mission history elsewhere. Home churches rallied to the challenge that was there and the work resumed at an ever increasing tempo.

          After the war Lae became the main centre for Lutheran work although Madang and to some extent Finschhafen remained focal points as well.

           Many new stations were added to the list already in existence, especially in the Central Highlands. During the next 15-20 years the following names were added: Ponompa, Wonenare, Tarabo, Awande, Rongu, Agotu, Finintigu, Bena, Monono, Siane, Nomane, Karamui, Omkolai, Upper Chimbu, Banz, Kotna, The Jimmi, Tiria, Alkena, Ialibu, Wabi, Tiripini.  High schools were started at Kitip and Asaroka. Bible Schools at Rintebe, Kewamugl, Kotna and Onerungka. Two hospitals were opened - one at Kotna and the other for the Kuru sufferers in the Okapa area. A Seminary for the training of pastors was opened up at Ogelbeng. There was a Teacher Training Centre at Rintebe and a Girls School at Tiria (before co-ed was acceptable). There were overseas pastors stationed in the towns of Hagen, Goroka and Kainantu. An agricultural training centre was started at Banz. There was a workshop at Goroka that serviced missionaries' vehicles and kept up the maintenance of all the manned stations. Goroka also became one of the bases for the Mission's aircrafts that were used to supply the needs to the outstations in the Highlands.        These and more were started to do carry out what the missionaries had come to do.  Needless to say this required a lot of people. With everything so new and happening for the first time people on stations had to come from overseas. They came from Australia, America, Canada and Germany. But also from Holland, Finland, New Zealand and South Africa .

        Village schools both in the vernacular and in Pisin were opened up in all these areas. Anything form 10 or 20 such schools were running under the supervision of each mission station. Hundreds of evangelists entered the work during this time. By the early 1960's trained pastors and teachers from within their own ranks began to take up some of the responsibility for the growing church.

        The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod came on to the PNG scene towards the end of the l950's and settled in the region west of Mt. Hagen amongst the Engga speaking people who were considered to be the largest language group in all of PNG. L.C.M.S.'s work grew rapidly. With their main centres at Wabag and Wapenamanda they have continued to grow a rapid rate.

 

        Other things of particular note were: 

At Lae

        The headquarters of the entire Mission field. The home of the Bishop. (The first Bishop was Dr. Kuder. Currently not filled because of the death of Bishop Kikesung), the Church's  Offices, three major places of training, Martin Luther Seminary, Balob Teachers College and Bumayong Lutheran High School. 

At Madang 

         Yagaum Hospital, Gaubin Hospital, the Supply House that furnished all the material needs to people on outstations, the central base for the mission's aviation programme, the home for the ships and boats required to serve the coastal stations, Baitabag Lutheran High School, a Girls School, a Printery to cater for the printing needs of the church..

 At Finschhafen

          Logaweng Seminary, Heldsbach High School, Buangi Hospital and Butaweng Hospital etc..

         What was once a matter of mission concern has now been handed over fully to the people of PNG. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG now not only covers this entire area with its work but it has spread throughout the length and breadth of PNG and the nearby islands. Today it sees itself as the second largest Christian body in the land with a membership of well over a million people. What started as a very humble beginning at Finschhafen in 1886 has by the grace of God become the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea of today. To God be the glory!