Contours of Conformity 1662-1832: the story of a German Lutheran congregation and the Church of England
Having recently discovered the story of the German Church in Halifax , Nova Scotia, an exploration of its early years provides a fascinating insight into how non-episcopal Continental Protestant churches were regarded by 18th century Anglicanism. (The title 'Little Dutch Church' is a misnomer for Deutsch.) Established in 1756 as a "common meeting house of the German Lutheran congregation", it was the place of worship for the 'Foreign Protestants' - mostly Lutherans from the Palatines - who had settled in Halifax. For the first few decades of the church, clergy from the "English Church of St. Paul" in Halifax provided sacramental ministrations, with Lutheran laity leading prayers and reading sermons. In the words of a history of the congregation : Ordinarily, the German schoolmaster read prayers twice on Sundays as well as a sermon on each occasion. Another description, in good Lutheran fashion, also notes the singing of hymns. The contemporary accoun
