Gottlieb Bender Christiansen (October 27, 1851 – September 27, 1929) was an American Lutheran Minister who served as President at Trinity Seminary in Blair, Nebraska and was the first president of the

United Danish 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 ...

Background

G.B. Christiansen was born in Røjle Mark, Vejlby Parish,

Odense County Odense County () is a former province in Denmark, located on the northern half of the island of Funen in central Denmark. Odense County was established in 1806 and abolished in 1970 when it merged with Svendborg County forming the new Funen Count ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. His parents were Christian Gottliebsen and Else Cathrine Nielsdatter. He came to America with his betrothed Jensine Larsen on August 15, 1877, via the SS Gellert (part of the Hamburg German American line). From 1877 to 1881, he attended

Augsburg Seminary Augsburg University is a private university in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was founded in 1869 as a Norwegian-American Lutheran seminary known as Augsburg Seminariu ...

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. He was ordained on June 23, 1881, at Shell Rock, Iowa. He died September 27, 1929, at the Ebenezer Home in Brush, Colorado, later Buried in Elk Horn, Iowa.

Career

He served as Pastor at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

from 1881 until 1885. In 1886, he was called to Owatonna Danish Lutheran Congregation in

Owatonna, Minnesota Owatonna ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,420 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County F ...

. Rev. Christiansen served there until 1890. He was also Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in

Albert Lea, Minnesota Albert Lea ( ) is a city in Freeborn County, Minnesota, Freeborn County, in southern Minnesota. It is the county seat. Its population was 18,492 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is at the junction of Interstates Intersta ...

from 1885 to 1890. On January 1, 1889, Reverend Christiansen came to serve Brorson Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Christiansen was called to be the second president of Trinity Seminary in

Blair, Nebraska Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, Omaha-Council Bluffs Me ...

in 1890. He served as both President and theological professor at Trinity Seminary until 1896. He was also Pastor for congregations in Blair, Nebraska area during this period. Christiansen was called to be the first president of the newly formed

from 1896 to 1921. The United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized at Minneapolis on October 1, 1896, from the merger of the Danish Association of 1884 and the Danish North Church of 1894. He was named Knight of the

Order of Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

King Christian X Christian X (; 26 September 1870 – 20 April 1947) was King of Denmark from 1912 until his death in 1947, and the only King of Iceland as Kristján X, holding the title as a result of the personal union between Denmark and independent Ice ...

of Denmark in 1921. He retired from active ministry and moved to

Brush, Colorado Brush is a Statutory City located in Morgan County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 5,339 at the 2020 United States census. Brush is a part of the Fort Morgan, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The Brush, Colorado ...

in 1922.''North American Medal Recipient Index'' (compiled by William P. Jones, J.D., M.A.)

Selected works

* '' Vink for Gennemlæsning af Bibelen''(Blair, Nebraska. 1918) Which is translated into "tips for reading the bible" Danish * ''Recollections of Our Church Work'' (published posthumously. United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church: 1930) English

References

Additional sources

*Christensen, William E. ''Saga of the Tower: A History of Dana College and Trinity Seminary'' (Blair, Nebraska: Lutheran Publishing House, 1959) *Petersen, Peter L. ''A Place Called Dana: The Centennial History of Trinity Seminary and Dana College'' (Blair, Nebraska: Dana College, 1984) *Jensen, John M. ''The United Evangelical Lutheran Church: An Interpretation'' (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964) *Nyholm, Paul C. ''The Americanization of the Danish Lutheran Churches in America: A Study in Immigrant History'' (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1963) *Christiansen, Christopher S. - Great Great Great Grandson, Family Historian.

External links

Christiansen SocietyThe Danish Immigrant Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christiansen, Gottlieb Bender 1851 births 1929 deaths 19th-century American Lutheran clergy Danish Lutherans Danish emigrants to the United States Danish-American culture in Nebraska Augsburg University alumni Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog People from Odense Municipality 20th-century American Lutheran clergy