Geld und Mission : die Spendengewinnung der Deutschen Glaubensmissionen bis 1939

Abstract

This thesis analyses the acquisition of donations by the German faith missions from their beginnings up to the outbreak of World War II. The focus is directed to the three oldest German faith missions: the Neukirchener Mission, the Allianz-China-Mission, and the Liebenzeller Mission. As a specific characteristic of faith missions, the contemporary literature mentions the so-called faith principle. This faith principle, propagated by such personalities as Hudson Taylor and Georg Müller, stands for the deliberate renunciation of public fundraising. It is the leading question of this thesis whether the German faith missions have adopted and realized this principle. Analysing the theory and the methodology, it becomes clear, that the three oldest German faith missions have not renounced the principle of obtaining donations. This thesis offers also a model of interpretation to determine the factors that are of relevance for the acquisition of donations by the mentioned missions.