The American Dwight L. Moody (1837–1899) was the most famous revivalist of the late 1800s and exercised a wide and lasting influence on the Protestant world, reaching Swedes in Sweden and America. His influence was felt among Swedes despite the fact that he was of English heritage, never visited Sweden or any Scandinavian country, and never spoke a word of the Swedish language. Nevertheless, he became a “hero” revivalist among Swedish Mission Friends in Sweden and America. Moody’s early ministry was centered in Chicago, the largest urban population of Swedes in the United States. In 1867, he first came into contact with Swedish immigrants in Chicago known as Mission Friends. The church that he founded, Chicago Avenue Church, later organized a Swedish fellowship. Many Swedes who immigrated to America, a land of religious pluralism, were eager to adopt Moody’s beliefs and methods. Fredrik Franson who joined Moody’s church became a proponent of the American revivalist’s beliefs and methods, spreading them in America, Sweden and other countries. E. A. Skogsbergh, a pioneer of the Mission Covenant in America, adopted Moody’s preaching style so much that he became known as “the Swedish Moody.” News of Moody’s large revival campaigns in Great Britain from 1873–1875 traveled quickly to Sweden, making “Mr. Moody” a household name in homes of many Mission Friends. Moody’s sermons published in Sweden were distributed in books, newspapers, and colporteur tracts, and led to the spread of Sweden’s “Moody fever” from 1875–1880. P. P. Waldenström cited Moody as an example of evangelical cooperation in events leading to the founding of Svenska Missionsförbundet (Swedish Mission Covenant). Songs of Moody’s musical partner, Ira D. Sankey, were translated into Swedish by Theodor Truvé and Erik Nyström and sung in homes and mission houses. Moody’s influence extended even to Sweden’s Archbishop Nathan Söderblom who during his college years attended Moody’s student conference at Northfield, Massachusetts. As Mission Friends adopted Moody’s alliance ideal, beliefs, and methods, their religious identity shifted in the direction of Moody’s new American evangelicalism.

This thesis describes the unique transition of the German Alliance-Mission (GAM) from an interdenominational faith mission to a denominational church mission agency. This process was begun and developed by the affiliation on the Federation of Free Evangelical Churches in Germany (FFEC). The GAM was in the beginning stage an intentionally interdenominational mission agency. Their founding fathers Carl Polnick and Fredrik Franson were against denominationalism. Therefore they could not imagine approaching one particular denomination to work together. However, in the 1920's the GAM became more denominationally minded through the influence of the new mission leaders. After World War II the leaders of GAM and FFEC began to negotiate about cooperation. In 1960 the FFEC leaders asked their individual congregations to support the GAM only. In 1975, it became necessary to record an agreement. This agreement made the GAM the official world mission organisation of the FFEC in Germany. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

This thesis describes the unique transition of the German Alliance-Mission (GAM) from an interdenominational faith mission to a denominational church mission agency. This process was begun and developed by the affiliation on the Federation of Free Evangelical Churches in Germany (FFEC). The GAM was in the beginning stage an intentionally interdenominational mission agency. Their founding fathers Carl Polnick and Fredrik Franson were against denominationalism. Therefore they could not imagine approaching one particular denomination to work together. However, in the 1920's the GAM became more denominationally minded through the influence of the new mission leaders. After World War II the leaders of GAM and FFEC began to negotiate about cooperation. In 1960 the FFEC leaders asked their individual congregations to support the GAM only. In 1975, it became necessary to record an agreement. This agreement made the GAM the official world mission organisation of the FFEC in Germany. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)