The Church in Norway
The Scandinavian Mission began in 1850, extending to Norway in 1851. Despite early opposition, thousands of people were baptized, though nearly half of them immigrated to the United States and helped build the Church in Utah. A temple in Oslo was announced in 2021.
Visit the Church Newsroom to see current events of the Church in Norway.
History of the Church in Norway
Norway’s people have played a significant role in Church history since the 1840s. Norwegians who joined the Church in the United States joined the first pioneer companies to reach the Salt Lake Valley. Three years later, in 1850, the Scandinavian Mission became one of the first missions in which missionaries taught the gospel in a language other than English. Hans F. Petersen, a Dane, extended the mission’s work into Norway in 1851. Though the government refused to recognize the Church, and the early Saints in Norway faced significant opposition, thousands joined the Church in Norway throughout the late nineteenth century.
Nearly half of those early members immigrated and helped build up the Church in Utah and the surrounding areas. One immigrant, John A. Widtsoe, later became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and served for three decades. Other members remained in Norway and helped keep a continual Church presence there, though the development of Church organizations was limited.
In August 1946, the Norwegian government granted the Church permission to preach in Norway. The government granted the Church official registration as a religious denomination in 1988. Now, with two stakes and 22 congregations, the Church is firmly established in Norway.
From average members living their religion daily to leaders in the highest councils, Norwegian Latter-day Saints have deeply influenced the Church. Theirs is a story of perseverance, conviction, and continuing in the faith (see Colossians 1:23).
Stories of Faith
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Notes
- Erekson, Keith A., and Lloyd D. Newell. “‘A Gathering Place for the Scandinavian People’: Conversion, Retention, and Gathering in Norway, Illinois (1842–1849).” Mormon Historical Studies, vol. 1, no. 1 (Spring 2000), 21–36.
- Haslam, Gerald Myron. Clash of Cultures: The Norwegian Experience with Mormonism, 1842–1920. New York: Peter Lang, 1984.
- Mulder, William. Homeward to Zion: The Mormon Migration from Scandinavia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1957.
- Pinborough, Jan U., and Marvin K. Gardner. “The Power of One—The Example of Rigmor Heistø.” Liahona, June 1998, 8–12.
- Thomas, John C. “Apostolic Diplomacy: The 1923 European Mission of Senator Reed Smoot and Professor John A. Widtsoe.” Journal of Mormon History, vol. 28, no. 1 (Spring 2002), 130–65.
- Widtsoe, John A. In the Gospel Net: The Story of Anna Karine Gaarden Widtsoe. Salt Lake City: The Improvement Era, 1942.