One year before the ELS was reorganized, the merger of Norwegian church bodies occurred. The former Norwegian Synod, overlooking what had happened in the 1880s, unfortunately went along into the merger with churches who had opposed the scriptural position on predestination. The merger came about on the basis of a 1912 doctrinal compromise document known…

(Part 3 of 3 articles about the ongoing ELS work in Peru, as seen through the eyes of visiting North American pastors.) Leaving Lima, Peru, by car is often a harrowing event. The traffic, sometimes moving quickly, sometimes crawling along, always requires the attention of the driver. Painted lanes and oncoming traffic appear to mean…

The precipitous event which led to the reorganization of the Norwegian Synod as the ELS occurred in 1917 when a merger of Norwegian Lutheran church bodies occurred. The issue under discussion from 1912–17, as it was in the 1880’s, was the teaching that salvation is completely a gift of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. This…

The Norwegian Synod, as the predecessor body of the ELS, was concerned with preserving the doctrinal truths which God has given in the Bible. In the late 1800’s a doctrinal controversy rocked the Norwegian Synod. One-third of the congregations and pastors left the synod at that time. The synod sought to defend the teaching that…

The third “father” of the Synod was the Rev. Ulrik Vilhem Koren. He served Washington Prairie Lutheran Church (near Decorah, Iowa). He is remembered as the “theologian” of the Synod. In 1884, he wrote “An Accounting” to the congregations of the Synod stating the Synod’s doctrinal position. He also wrote the hymn “Ye Lands, to…

The Rev. Jakob A. Ottesen was another of the three “fathers” of the Synod. He served the Koshkonong Lutheran  churches (near Cottage Grove, Wisconsin). He is remembered as a “model pastor” for the Synod. Following his daughter’s death in 1931, his household estate and library were given to the reorganized synod. This collection became the…

During this anniversary year, we remember the three “fathers” of the Synod: Herman Preus, Jakob Ottesen, and Vilhelm Koren. The Rev. H.A. Preus served Spring Prairie Lutheran Church (near Keyser, Wisconsin). He is regarded as the “administrator” of the Synod and served as its president for thirty-two years. At his funeral in 1894, he was…

Today, as the ELS observes its centennial, the synod consists of 17,000 members in 131 congregations. But prior to 1917, the synod consisted of 150,522 souls in 986 congregations. At that time, the Synod also operated one college, one teacher-training school, one seminary, twelve academies (high schools), four orphans’ homes, three old-people’s homes, two hospitals, and a…