Norwegian Lutheran Church in America
“In spite of the dissension and strife that characterized the immigrants’ religious life, the congregation was central to their existence in America. The several church bodies assumed responsibility for bringing up children and young people in the Lutheran faith…” Odd S. Lovoll, "The Promise of America: A History of the Norwegian-American People"
The history of the Norwegian American Lutheran Church in America is a long and complicated story. It began in 1846 when a lay preacher by the name of Elling Eielsen, a leader in the Haugean pietistic state church reform movement, established the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, known as the Eielsen Synod, in the Jefferson Prairie Settlement (Wisconsin). Over the years and after many disputes, various synods appeared in the tapestry of the Norwegian American Lutheran Church.Explore the various synods below to learn more about the influence of the church on the Norwegian American community.
This page has paths:
- Introduction Kristina Warner
Contents of this path:
- Eielsen Synod, 1846-1997
- Norwegian Synod, 1853-1917
- Hauge Synod, 1876-1917
- Conference of the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, 1870-1890
- Anti-Missourian Brotherhood, 1887-1890
- Norwegian Augustana Synod, 1870-1890
- Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1860-1962
- United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (UNLC), 1890-1917
- Lutheran Free Church (LFC), 1897-1963
- Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America, 1900-current
- Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS), 1918-current
- Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (Evangelical Lutheran Church), 1917-1960
- Lutheran Synods after 1960