The Eielsen Synod (originally named the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) was a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
church body
A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, wors ...
. It was founded in 1846 at
Jefferson Prairie Settlement
Jefferson Prairie Settlement was a pioneer colony of Norwegian-Americans located in the Town of Clinton, in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. This site and the nearby Rock Prairie settlement outside Orfordville served as centers for both N ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, by a group of
Haugean Lutherans led by
Elling Eielsen Elling Eielsen (September 19, 1804 – January 10, 1883) was a Norwegian-American minister and Lutheran Church leader. He was the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in the United States.
Background
Eielsen was born and raised on the farm of Sundve ...
, the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in the United States.
Background
There were church splits in 1848 and 1856. In 1876, the synod numbered 24 pastors, 59 congregations, and 7,500 members. That year a major split occurred and many of the clergymen and congregations left the Eielsen Synod and organized the
Hauge Synod
The Hauge Synod (formally Hauge's Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Synod in America) was the name of a Norwegian Lutheran church body in the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
Background
The Hauge Synod (Norwegian: ) wa ...
. Elling Eielsen and his supporters continued the synod under the 1846 church constitution in
Jackson
Jackson may refer to:
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* Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name
Places
Australia
* Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region
* Jackson North, Qu ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
The Eielsen Synod emphasized the importance of repentance, conversion, and lay preaching. It opposed ritualism, formal worship, clerical vestments, and clerical authority. The Eielsen Synod had 1,500 members in ten churches in 1953. By 1971, it had declined to 75 members scattered among churches in
French Lake and
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson is a city and county seat of Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,299 at the 2010 census.
History
Jackson was originally called Springfield, and under the latter name was laid out in 1856. A post office calle ...
;
Centerville, South Dakota; and
Taylor
Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to:
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* Taylor (surname)
** List of people with surname Taylor
* Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah
* Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron
* Justice Taylor (disambiguation)
Pl ...
and
Lodi, Wisconsin
Lodi ( ) is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,189 at the 2020 census. Lodi is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Isaac Palmer founded the village of Lodi in 1846 in what was then ...
.
In 1985, there were approximately 50 members at just three churches: Stall Norwegian Church in
Jackson, Minnesota
Jackson is a city and county seat of Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,299 at the 2010 census.
History
Jackson was originally called Springfield, and under the latter name was laid out in 1856. A post office calle ...
; Bethania Lutheran in
Lodi/
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...
; and Immanuel in
French Lake, Minnesota. Immanuel is now an independent Lutheran church and Stall Norwegian has closed.
''A Synod Of One: The Story Of Immanuel Lutheran Church'' (Karen Christofferson. "In The Midst Of" December 1999. V. 19 No. 4)
/ref> A minister was ordained on May 10, 2008 by the presiding president of Bethania ELCA-Eielson Church. Martin Leroy Bystol was the active president of such ministry of the Eielsen Synod until his death. Rev Orvin L. Bystol is an ordained minister and resides in Eau Claire, where the church is located.
See also
*The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States
The Norwegian Lutheran Church in the United States is a general term to describe the Lutheran church tradition developed within the United States by immigrants from Norway.
Background
Most Norwegian immigrants to the United States, particularly ...
References
{{reflist
Other sources
*Preus Jr., J. A. O. ''Protesting Norwegians'' (America's Lutherans. Ed. Omar Bonderud and Charles Lutz Columbus OH: Wartburg Press 1958)
External links
Eielsen Synod Membership numbers
History of Christianity in the United States
Lutheran denominations in North America
Lutheranism in Wisconsin
Norwegian migration to North America