Adventism in Norway

Adventist congregations in Norway (Norwegian: Adventistsamfunnet) is a protestant free church in Norway.

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History

Adventism in Norway came from the Pietist revival that was caused by Norwegian Lutheran preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge.[1] Evidence suggests that four families in southern Norway became the nucleus of Norwegian Adventism after discovering the seventh-day Sabbath, though it is not believed to have been the result of contact from keepers of the Sabbath. Instead, it is believed that it was derived from their reading of the Bible.[1] The Danish American John Gottlieb Matteson came to Norway in 1878 and began working as a missionary for the Seventh-day Adventists.[2] Gottlieb composed the first Dano-Norwegian Adventist hymnal.[2] He became the editor of Avent Tidende in 1872, which was eventually distributed to Scandinavian countries. It experienced good reception, leading to Matteson to go to Denmark and Kristiania (now Oslo) to preach. He later participated in the construction of the first church organized in Oslo.[2] Matteson continued to work on publication work, including on Tidernes Tegn (Signs of the Times) and Sunnhetsbladet (Health Magazine). These were one of only few periodicals at the time and allowed members of the congregation to earn money through distribution.[2] The church runs a number of private schools in Norway.

Congregation

Early on in 1879, his congregation in Norway consisted of 34 people who were mostly working-class women.[2] There were 652 Adventists in Norway in 1901, and 1,826 in 1921.[2] In 2013, there were approximately 4,600 Adventists in Norway.[2] As of June 30, 2018, the Adventist church had a total membership count of 4,535 people.[3]

The Church is split into three districts:

  • Northern Norway
  • Western Norway
  • Eastern Norway

Between these districts, as of 2013, there are 62 congregations and 43 churches.[2]

On September 20, 2015, the Norwegian Union Conference Executive Committee of the Adventist Church voted to cease the ordaining of both male and female pastors due to a disagreement on Biblical readings on ordination.[4] Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway pays pastoral employees the same wages and under the same terms regardless of gender.[4]

Institutions

Adventists in Norway own and operate the following institutions:[2]

  • Skogli Health and Rehabilitation Centre (Lillehammer)
  • Tyrifjorden Upper Secondary School (Buskerud County)
  • A bible institute (Røyse)
  • A publishing house (Røyse)
  • Møsserød care home (Sandefjord)
  • A senior citizen community centre (Bergen)
  • 11 primary schools
  • Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Norway

See also

References
  1. Snorrason, Bjorgvin Martin Hjelvik (2010). "The Origin, Development, and History of the Norwegian Seventh-day Adventist Church from the 1840s to 1889". Andrews University. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  2. Brady, M. Michael (June 25, 2013). "Norway religions: Seventh-day Adventism". The Foreigner. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  3. Adventist Directory Retrieved December 3, 2018
  4. Wright, Jared. "Adventist Church in Norway Will No Longer Ordain Any Pastors". Spectrum Magazine. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
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