One of the earliest critiques of Mormonism was written in German. German Reformed Pastor Diedrich Willers who had lost several of his congregants to the infant Mormon church advised his superiors of the threat posed by the early Mormons. German speaking immigrants to North America converted, and played a significant role in the early development and growth of Mormonism in North America. As a result, founding Prophet Joseph Smith saw the German states as an area with a tremendous potential for new converts. In the nineteenth century the German states became the Mormons first foreign language mission field, and for most of the twentieth century contained the largest resident Mormon population outside of the United States and Canada. However, the German mission did not live up to the initial expectations, as, relative to the German population, and the rest of Protestant Europe, the Mormons failed to make significant converts from among the Germans. This work examines the reasons behind the Mormons failures in the German states. This is the first historical, and critical examination exploring Mormon-German interaction within the context of a social, political, and religious history.

Kurt Widmer, geb. 1962, has published previously on the history and development of Mormonism. His primary research area is the development of sectarian religion in North America, particularly the influence of German sects on religion in North America.

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