The Eielsen Synod (originally named the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) was a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

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, worsh ...

. It was founded in 1846 at Jefferson Prairie Settlement,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, 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,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. 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 in and the county seat of Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,323 at the 2020 census. History For centuries, many indigenous peoples called this area home, including the Cheyenne, Ioway, and D ...

; Centerville, South Dakota; and

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * 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) ...

and Lodi, Wisconsin. In 1985, there were approximately 50 members at just three churches: Stall Norwegian Church in

; Bethania Lutheran in Lodi/

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire ( ; lit. "clear water") is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Eau Claire and Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat, seat of Eau Claire County. It is the List of citie ...

; and Immanuel in French Lake, Minnesota. Immanuel is now an independent Lutheran church and Stall Norwegian has closed. 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.

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-American culture in Wisconsin Norwegian-American history Christian denominations founded in the United States

Background

See also

References

Other sources

External links