Jacob Albright

Jacob Albrecht ( also Jacob Albrecht, Americanized Jacob Albright ) ( born May 1, 1759 in the vicinity of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, † 17 May 1808 In Kleinfeltersville, Pennsylvania) was the founder and first bishop of the Methodist Protestant Community and thus is regarded as one of the founder of the United Methodist Church.

Life and work

Jacob Albrecht was the son of German immigrants from the Palatinate and grew up in a Lutheran church in Pennsylvania on. In 1785 he married Catherine Cope with whom he had three children. He lived with his family in Pennsylvania, where he worked on his farm and with a kiln as brickmakers. 1790, after the death of several of his children, he had an inner crisis. Due to its neighbors, the lay preacher Adam Riegel, he came to the Methodists.

Since October 1796, he began to preach without theological training and without ecclesiastical order as an itinerant preacher among German immigrants in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Agriculture and brick burning came to the sideline. He wanted to collect any local community around. He penetrated resistant forward into new areas, in order sins stray sheep. to collect. He did not preach in churches, but in the open air, such as in forest gatherings or in barns. He had not provided an ecclesiastical organization. The converts, he started from 1800 to summarize for an order along the lines of John Wesley in classes that were responsible for each other spiritually. Albrecht gave the classes class leaders and the necessary instructions. At the Council meeting in 1803 it was unanimously with him to the conviction that he had proven by the six successful years as a traveling preacher a good sample and should be ordained. So Albrecht was introduced with solemn prayer and laying on of hands in the office of preaching. This corresponded to the tradition of the Book of Acts.

1807 was called the organization newly formed Methodist Conference. She decided on the advice of Albrecht, to submit a doctrine and church order in which the episcopal form of government should be the foundation of the church dispensation. Albrecht was elected General Superintendent. This office is now equated with the episcopate.

In 1807 he began the Methodist church order to be translated into German, a work which was completed after his death by George Miller.

1808 Albrecht died exhausted by his travels and his preaching.

As a particularly distinctive trait of Albrecht his love of order is called in all areas. He particularly emphasized the church discipline. His modesty, his manly conduct, stracke person and almost military gait gave the impression that he was a man of firm conviction and strong determination. As a preacher, he was thorough, original and biblical. He often spoke in parables.

The main source of his life is a short biography published in 1811 written by George Miller, an elder ( minister ) of the Protestant community.