Navigating a religious community through turbulence: Leaders of the German Lutheran Church and the Queensland Government Post First World War - Progress Review 1, Alex Nocher

My thesis topic focuses on the leadership of German Lutherans in Queensland during the early 20th century. Previous studies undertaken on the Germans of Queensland have had a variety of focus topics, from founding new communities to conversions of Indigenous Australians to the Lutheran Faith. The theoretical basis for this thesis revolves around the relationship between Lutheran pastors from the German community. These church leaders acted as bridges between the German communities of Queensland and the state government among other institutions in the early 20th century. Without them the experiences during the First World War and the inter wars years of the 1920s could have been far more challenging and corrosive for German Queenslanders. Providing guidance and leadership in these difficult years ensured the continuation and transition of the German communities to reintegrate into the wider state society.

To understand the role the Church leadership played in the German community, I shall be providing context of Germans residing in Queensland before the start of the 20th century. From there this thesis shall analyse the various strategies utilised by the German Lutheran Church leaders to safeguard their flock and the interests of their communities during the first world war and its aftermath from the 1920s through the great depression until 1930. Sources derive from a spectrum of material including histories created by German pastors, conference papers, German newspapers and church records. Each chapter shall cover a different period in the history of the German Lutherans of Queensland beginning with a summary of their arrival in the 19th century and concluding in 1930 before the rise of the NSDP into power in 1933.