Der junge Otto Dibelius als Kirchenreformer

This essay analyzes the church reform program that the young Otto Dibelius (1880 – 1967) developed in the late Wilhelmine Empire. It first traces the most important influences that shaped him, including the so-called congregational movement conceived by Emil Sulze. Then, the concept of the people's church developed by Dibelius from his early reform approaches is critically reconstructed. Finally, the study asks how Dibelius later modified this concept. Overall, this is an instructive contribution to the practical ecclesiology of the early twentieth century.