Johan Arnd Aasgaard (April 5, 1876 – January 13, 1966) was an American Lutheran church leader.

Biography

Johan Arnd Aasgaard was born in

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea is a city in Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of ...

. He was educated at St. Olaf College in

Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. History Northfield was platted in 1856 by John W. N ...

(class of 1901). He graduated from the United Church Seminary in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

(now known as

Luther Seminary Luther Seminary is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is the largest seminary of the ELCA. It also accepts and educates students of 41 other denominations and traditions. It is accredited ...

). He was ordained a minister in the

Norwegian Lutheran Church of America The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) was a Lutheran denomination that existed from 1917, when it was founded as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America (NLCA), until 1960, when it joined two other church bodies to form the second American Luthe ...

, later known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Aasgaard was pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in De Forest, Wisconsin from 1901 to 1911. He taught at United Church Seminary from 1906 to 1907. He served as president of Concordia College in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead () is a city in and county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moorhead is also home to several ...

from 1911 to 1925. Aasgaard was President of the

from 1925 to 1954. Aasgaard subsequently helped lay groundwork for the merger that resulted in formation of

American Lutheran Church The American Lutheran Church (TALC) was a Christian Protestant denomination in the United States and Canada that existed from 1960 to 1987. Its headquarters were in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon its formation in 1960, The ALC designated Augsburg ...

in 1960. The American Lutheran Church resulted from the merger of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (United States) with the

United Evangelical Lutheran Church The United Evangelical Lutheran Church (commonly known as the United Church) was one of the many denominations formed when Lutherans came to the United States from Europe. Originally known as the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Uni ...

and a predecessor church body known as the American Lutheran Church. He was appointed Commander of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

in 1928 and received the Grand Cross in 1945. The personal papers and files of Johan Arnd Aasgaard are maintained in the archives of

.''Johan Arnd Aasgaard'' (Store norske leksikon)
/ref> Aasgaard died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in a hospital in

Cokato, Minnesota Cokato is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,799 at the 2020 census. History Cokato was founded in 1869 when the First Division of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. The city was ...

at age 89.

Selected works

*''Quarter Centennial Souvenir of St. Olaf College, 1874–1899'' (Northfield News Print. 1900) *''Address at seventieth anniversary of Luther College'' (Lutheran Herald, Volume 7. 1933) *''Symbols of the Evangelical Lutheran Church—My Christian Faith'' (Augsburg Publishing House. 1935)

References

External links

Aasgaard House at Concordia CollegeConcordia College Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aasgaard, Johan Arnd St. Olaf College alumni 20th-century American Lutheran clergy 1876 births 1966 deaths Luther Seminary alumni American people of Norwegian descent People from Albert Lea, Minnesota People from DeForest, Wisconsin

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links