DIASPORA STRATEGIST: THE MISSIONARY WORK OF JOHANN ONCKEN

Abstract

I am drawn to the life and ministry of Johann Oncken because the movement he spawned is of personal significance to me.  As a member of a North American Baptist Conference church I recognize that some of my denomination’s heritage and vitality is partially traced to the influence of this man.  It has also been my privilege to serve as a missionary in a region of West Africa that received some of its first Christian missionaries from nineteenth century Baptists in Germany.  Furthermore, I trace my spiritual roots through my father’s side of the family to the ministry of Oncken.  My ancestors were among the first generation of German-speaking Baptists in Europe. My great grandmother frequently recalled a visit which Oncken had made in their humble home in rural Poland.