Johann Heinrich Arnold


Johann Heinrich Arnold, also called Heini, was the Elder, that is leader, of the Bruderhof Communities from 1962 until his death in 1982.
Johann Heinrich Arnold was born 23 December 1913 in Oberbozen as second son of Bruderhof founder Eberhard Arnold and his wife Emmy. Since the age of five he lived with his family in the Christian community his parents had founded in 1920 including Sannerz and the Rhönbruderhof in Germany, then England and Primavera, Paraguay. In the 1930s he lived as a university student for some time in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1936 he married Annemarie, née Wachter, and had nine children with her. In 1955 he immigrated to the United States.
He was ordained as Servant of the Word in 1939, at the Cotswold Bruderhof. In 1941 he became very ill and almost died. He was therefore removed from his office. In 1944 he was even sent away from the community for two years. He was reinstated as Servant of the Word in 1951. In the "great crisis" of the Bruderhof during the years 1959 to 1961 he was the driving force to end socialist ideas at the Bruderhof and to return to the Christian ideas of his father. In 1962 he became the overall leader of the Bruderhof Communities. He served as leader of the Bruderhof until his death in 1982.

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