Norwegian-American Lutheranism facts for kids
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States refers to the Christian churches that Norwegian immigrants started in America. These churches followed the Lutheran faith, which was common in Norway. Many Norwegians moved to the United States, especially between the 1860s and early 1900s. They brought their faith with them and built new church communities.
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How Norwegian Lutheran Churches Started
Most Norwegian immigrants came from the Church of Norway. This was an evangelical Lutheran church that was the official church of Norway. When they settled in America, these Norwegian-American Lutherans created their own church groups. These groups were called synods and conferences. They helped shape the Lutheran church in the United States today.
Early Beginnings of the Church
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The first organized group of Norwegians to leave Norway for the United States were religious dissenters. They sailed on a ship called the Restauration in 1825. Many of them were Quakers or Haugeans. Haugeans followed the lay preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge. He was a devout Lutheran but disagreed with the official Norwegian State Church. Many of these early settlers moved to the Fox River Settlement in LaSalle County, Illinois. The first minister there was Ole Olsen Hetletvedt, a Haugean.
In 1839, Elling Eielsen, another lay preacher, arrived. He was a leader in the Haugean movement. This movement encouraged people to be more active in their faith. Eielsen wanted the Norwegian community at Fox River to return to the Lutheran faith. He organized a church and became a Lutheran pastor in 1843. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, also known as the Eielsen Synod, was named after him. It was founded in 1846.
Forming New Church Groups
The Jefferson Prairie Settlement Lutheran Church was started in 1844. In 1846, Claus Lauritz Clausen became a pastor there. He moved from the Muskego Settlement and made Jefferson Prairie a center for his work.
In February 1853, several Lutheran ministers formed the Synod of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This group was often called the Norwegian Synod. It was organized near the Jefferson Prairie Settlement. Ulrik Vilhelm Koren was one of its first leaders. This Synod followed the traditions of the Church of Norway.
The Eielsen Synod had very strict rules. Because of this, some people left it. In 1848, Paul Andersen and Ole Andrewson started the first Norwegian and Scandinavian Church in Chicago. They joined the Franckean Synod, which was known for its modern views. They later joined the Northern Illinois Synod. In 1860, they formed the Scandinavian Augustana Synod. They did this because they felt English-speaking Lutherans were not true to the Augsburg Confession, a key Lutheran statement of faith.
In 1870, the Norwegian and Danish churches left the Scandinavian Augustana Synod. They formed two new church bodies: the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and the Norwegian Augustana Synod.
The Hauge Synod was formed in 1876. It split from the Eielsen Synod. This Synod was named after Hans Nielsen Hauge, the Norwegian revivalist preacher. Red Wing Seminary in Red Wing, Minnesota, was its educational center.
The United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was created in 1890. It was a union of the Norwegian Augustana Synod, the Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the Anti-Missourian Brotherhood.
Churches Still Using Norwegian
Many churches in America were started by Norwegian settlers. However, most no longer use the Norwegian language for their main services. Two churches in the United States still use Norwegian as a primary language for worship. These are Den Norske Lutherske Minnekirke in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1912, and Den Norske Lutherske Mindekirke in Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1922.
Norwegian Lutheran Church Groups in the US
- Eielsen Synod (1846–1997)
- Norwegian Synod (1853–1917)
- Norwegian Augustana Synod (1870–1890)
- Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (1870–1890)
- Hauge Synod (1876–1917)
- Anti-Missourian Brotherhood (1887–1890)
- United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (1890–1917)
- Lutheran Free Church (1897–1963)
- Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (1900–present)
- The Evangelical Lutheran Church (1917–1960)
- Evangelical Lutheran Synod (1918–present)
- Association of Free Lutheran Congregations (1962–present)
Colleges Started by Norwegian Lutherans in the US
- Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota
- Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota
- Luther College in Decorah, Iowa
- Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington
- St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota
- Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa
More to Read
- Fevold, Eugene L. The Norwegian Immigrant and His Church
- Koren, Ulrik Vilhelm Why Is There No Church Unity Among Norwegian Lutherans In America?
- Teigen, Erling T. The Legacy of Jakob Aall Ottesen and The Enduring Legacy of Preus, Koren, and Ottesen
