Justus Falckner

Justus Falckner was a German-born Pietist who became an American clergyman. In 1703, he was ordained for service among Dutch Lutherans in New York by pastors from New Sweden on the Delaware River. Many German Pietists, including those from the Rhineland and southern Germany, emigrated to North America, settling in New York and Pennsylvania. These immigrants were often aided by Pietist court chaplain M. Ziegenhagen in London.1

Falckner's ordination and the subsequent immigration of German Pietists were part of a larger movement of Lutheranism in North America. This movement was influenced by both orthodox Lutheran confessionalism and Pietism. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, another key figure, established Lutheran congregations and schools, particularly in Pennsylvania, and is considered "The Patriarch of American Lutheranism".21