Symbiotic Community: E. W. Mueller’s Approach to the Rural Social Crisis

E. W. Mueller (1908-1993) led a distinctive response to the dramatic rural social change of twentieth-century America. After twenty-four years as Secretary of the Department of Town and Country in the National Lutheran Council and its successor, the Lutheran Council in the U.S.A., Mueller initiated the Center for Community Organization and Area Development in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota region. Proposing a symbiotic community in which the interdependence of city and country would be maintained, Mueller sought to encourage responsible fulfillment of vocations, by both individuals and institutions, to enhance the quality of life. The social policy engagement which Mueller led was informed by traditional Lutheran theology. Mueller’s work belongs, historically, with the minority presence in Lutheranism which has affirmed involvement with the world. In his generation, Mueller provided leadership to his ecumenical partners, both Protestant and Catholic, in the face of their shared social plight. Meanwhile, he built bridges between the experts of the agricultural establishment and the church. With his tentacular style, Mueller was an interesting example of churchman creatively engaged with his social milieu.