Esdras Heinrich Mutzenbecher (born March 23, 1744 in Hamburg , † December 21, 1801 in Oldenburg ) was a German Evangelical Lutheran theologian and general superintendent in Oldenburg.

In 1773 he was appointed second university preacher in Göttingen. With the intention of devoting himself to an academic career, he passed the exam at the theological faculty in Göttingen in 1774 and began to prepare for an inaugural dissertation. In 1775, however, he was appointed preacher at the German Lutheran Church in The Hague . At the beginning of 1780 he moved to Amsterdam as pastor of the German Lutheran congregation . Here he got into a theological dispute with the Orthodox wing of his community. Since Mutzenbecher, due to his previous education, also took positions shaped by ideas of the Enlightenment , he was accused of heresy and he and other younger preachers were accused of not treating the main dogmas of Christianity or treating them incorrectly and merely delivering moral sermons. Because of these disputes, Mutzenbecher was forced to look for another position.

In 1789 he accepted the appointment to general superintendent and consistorial councilor in Oldenburg, where he found a more favorable environment for his views, since Duke Peter I also strived for an enlightenment state ideal and provided Mutzenbecher with extensive competencies. In the twelve years of his work, which was shaped by rationalism and Enlightenment theology, he put together a new hymn book, gave lessons in Christian doctrine with reference to Luther's little catechism , as well as a collection of prayers and forms for worship services . His works were received positively, as the older chorales in particular were adapted to more modern thinking in terms of language and content and contemporary poets, including members of the Oldenburg parish, contributed songs. Mutzenbecher's reforms were rejected by pietistic circles.