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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway
(Logo in Norwegian)
A meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tønsberg
AreaEurope North
Members4,505 (2022)[1]
Stakes2
Wards11
Branches8
Total Congregations[2]19
Missions1
Temples1 Announced
Family History Centers15[3]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Norway (Norwegian: Jesu Kristi kirke av siste dagers hellige) is a restorationist free church. There are more than 4,500 members in Norway. A temple to be built in Oslo was announced on April 4, 2021 by church president Russell M. Nelson.

History

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Membership in Norway
YearMembers
19301,507
19401,643
19501,515
19601,907
19702,885
19803,888
1989*3,700
19994,120
20094,164
20194,564
*Membership was published as an estimate or rounded number.
Source: Windall J. Ashton; Jim M. Wall, Deseret News, various years, Church Almanac Country Information: Norway[1]

The first Norwegians who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) were emigrants from Norway, living in a colony on the Fox River in Illinois, America. In 1842, George Parker Dykes came to this Norwegian colony as a missionary sent from Nauvoo. In a short time, he established a Norwegian congregation, and soon thereafter brought the message of the restoration to other Norwegian settlements in Iowa and Wisconsin.

Knut Pedersen from Stavanger and Erik Hogan from Telemark were some of the many Norwegian members that migrated west to the Utah Territory after the death of church founder Joseph Smith. They were met in the mountains by a group heading east who had been called to open the Scandinavian Mission: Erastus Snow, the Swede John E. Forsgren, and the Dane Peter O. Hansen.[4] George P. Dykes joined the group in England, and was particularly helpful because of his knowledge of Norwegian from his time at Fox River.

In the summer of 1850 they came to Copenhagen, which was a headquarters for the Scandinavian Mission until 1950. The Book of Mormon was translated into Danish in 1850 as the first language other than English; this formed a basis for the early missionary work in Norway, as the Bible and the Book of Mormon was used together in preaching.

The first baptism in Norway were in Risør on 26 November 1851,[4] and in 1852 branches were organized in Risør, Brevik and Fredrikstad. Membership grew rapidly after these branches were organized, and new congregations were organized in major cities along the coast over the next 2–3 years. Controversy arose among Norwegian theologians as to whether members Mormons should be viewed as Christians; in November 1853, the Supreme Court of Norway ruled that its Dissenter Law of 1845, which protected the rights of Christian groups outside the established Church of Norway, did not apply to church members, and eleven of the church's missionaries, known as "Mormon preachers" were jailed.[5] The Latter-Day Saint community repeatedly petitioned for the law to be changed, finally succeeding in 1882.[6][7] In August 1946, the government granted the LDS Church permission to preach in Norway; official registration as a religious denomination was granted in 1988. As of 2024, with two stakes and 19 congregations, the church is firmly established in Norway.[8]

The stigma of polygamy was a significant hindrance to proselytizing in Norway, and also meant that those who did convert had an additional incentive to emigrate.[9]

The growth of the church within Norway was historically limited by continuing migration to the United States until after World War II. There was significant growth in the last half of the 20th century. Today there are over 4,500 members of the LDS Church in Norway, and membership is again increasing. A temple to be built[10] in Oslo was announced on April 4, 2021, by church president Russell M. Nelson.

Stakes and congregations

[edit]
A LDS Church meetinghouse in Oslo
Book of Mormon in Norwegian, translated 1950

As of February 2023, the following congregations were located in Norway:[11]

Drammen Norway Stake

  • Arendal Gren (Arendal Branch)
  • Bergen Menighet (Bergen Ward)
  • Drammen Menighet (Drammen Ward)
  • Haugesund Gren (Haugesund Branch)
  • Kristiansand Menighet (Kristiansand Ward)
  • Skien Menighet (Skien Ward)
  • Stavanger Menighet (Stavanger Ward)
  • Tønsberg Gren (Tønsberg Branch)

Oslo Norway Stake

  • Fredrikstad Menighet (Fredrikstad Ward)
  • Hamar Gren (Hamar Branch)
  • Moss Menighet (Moss Ward)
  • Oslo Menighet (Oslo Ward)
  • Romerike Menighet (Romerike Ward)
  • Sandvika Menighet (Sandvika Ward)
  • Trondheim Menighet (Trondheim Ward)

Other Congregations

The following congregations are not part of a stake:

  • Alta-Hammerfest Gren (Alta-Hammerfest Branch)
  • Bodø Gren (Bodø Branch)
  • Narvik-Harstad Gren (Narvik-Harstad Branch)
  • Tromsø Gren (Tromsø Branch)

Congregations not part of a stake are classified as branches, regardless of size.

Mission

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  • Norway Oslo Mission

Temple

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LDS Church members in Norway have travelled to worship for many years in the Stockholm Sweden Temple. On April 4, 2021, during general conference, church president Russell M. Nelson announced the first temple for Norway, to be built in Oslo.[12] Until it is completed, members will continue to use those in the neighboring countries.

Map
edit
Location:
Announced:
Size: 		Hvalstad, Norway
4 April 2021 by Russell M. Nelson[12]
10,800 sq ft (1,000 m2) on a 8-acre (3.2 ha) site

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: Norway", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 3 June 2022
  2. ^ Excludes groups meeting separate from wards and branches.
  3. ^ Norway Family History Centers, familysearch.org, retrieved August 22, 2022
  4. ^ a b Ludlow, Daniel H. (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan, p. 1262
  5. ^ Ludlow, Daniel H. (1992). Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan, p. 1263
  6. ^ Blegen. Theodore Christian (1969). Norwegian Migration to America, New York, Arno Press, pp. 333ff. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  7. ^ Bloch-Hoell, Nils (1973). "The Impact in Norway of American Religious Dissent", in Arie Nicolaas Jan Den Hollander, ed., Contagious Conflict: The Impact of American Dissent on European Life, Brill Archive, pp. 217-218. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  8. ^ "Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership". newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  9. ^ Seljaas, Helge (1977)."Polygamy among the Norwegian Mormons", Norwegian-American Studies 27, 151.
  10. ^ "Location of the Oslo Norway Temple announced". news-uk.churchofjesuschrist.org. 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
  11. ^ "Classic Maps", churchofjesuschrist.org, retrieved 2021-06-02
  12. ^ a b "Prophet Announces Twenty New Temples at April 2021 General Conference", Newsroom, LDS Church, 4 April 2021

Further reading

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  • Glad, Johnnie (2006). The Mission of Mormonism in Norway 1851—1920: A Study and Analysis of the Reception Process, Frankfurt, Peter Lang, ISBN 3-631-54478-2
  • Gundersen, Dianna (2001). With Scriptures in their Backpack: American LDS Women Missionaries in Norway, PhD Thesis, University of Oslo
  • Haslam, Gerald, M. (1984). Clash of Cultures: The Norwegian Experience with Mormonism, 1842-1920. New York, Peter Lang, ISBN 082040179X
  • Mulder, William (1957/2000). Homeward to Zion. The Mormon Migration from Scandinavia, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
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