The Danish-Norwegian Missionary Institute at Minneapolis
By L. H. Christian
At the meeting of the General Conference Committee in Washington last April it was recommended that a Danish-Norwegian missionary institute should be held in some central place as soon as practicable. Later the brethren decided that this meeting should convene in the Scandinavian church at Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. 3-13, 1907. Chicago has nearly three hundred thousand Scandinavians, Brooklyn about one hundred and fifty thousand. Minneapolis, however, is more centrally located for us, besides having the largest Scandinavian population of any city in America. Thirty-five per cent of its two hundred thousand inhabitants are of that nationality. The Norwegians especially have made Minneapolis the center of their religious and educational interests. The Norwegian United Lutheran Church, the largest body of Lutherans in America, has its school and publishing house in Minneapolis, as has also the large Free Lutheran Church. Our Scandinavian Adventist church in Minneapolis was organized in 1884, and has now a membership of forty-eight. During the institute a series of lectures was given in the church, and the attendance was good. Aside from quite a number of our brethren from different places, the following workers were in attendance at the institute. Ordained ministers: L. Johnson, H. R. Johnson, J. C. Neilsen, H. Steen, N. C. Bergersen, H. Hansen, N. P. Neilsen, H. C. J. Wollekar, L. H. Christian, M. L. Andreasen, M. S. Reppe, P. A. Hansen, A. G. Christiansen. Licentiates and other workers: Prof. P. E. Berthelsen, of Union College, C. A. Thorp, the editor of our paper, C. Edwardsen, J. H. Schmidt, K. Rasmussen, H. P. Anderson, Carl P. Hansen, H. P. Hansen, P. O. Johnson, Emil Johansen, Ina Grundset, Hansigne Strunge. Of our Swedish brethren Elders J. F. Andersen, John Hoffman, and A. J. Stone were present. This missionary institute was the first of the kind that has been held in the Danish-Norwegian language. As it was not a conference session it did not concern itself with conference business. It was wholly an educational and spiritual mission council. The brethren met to study the spiritual need of our Danish-Norwegian churches, the needs of the field, the best methods of work, and most of all, to study the Bible and seek the Lord. In all these studies the Lord was certainly in our midst. The brethren called the institute a “Philadelphia meeting,” because of the harmony and love that ruled in every session from beginning to end. A careful program for the meeting had been prepared and printed. From this I take some of the topics discussed: Our Youth, The Spiritual Needs of Our Churches, Prayer-meetings, The Sabbath-school, The College View School, Need of Teachers, Church Order, The Importance of Organization, A More Efficient Ministry, The Study of Our Own Language, The Health and Temperance Work, Plainness of Dress, Should Adventists Raise Hogs? Missionary Finance, Tithing, The Spirit of Prophecy, The Sanctity of the Home, Have Divorced Persons a Right to Remarry? and other questions of more local import than some of these. Aside from the above general statement in regard to the meeting, only a few special points may be mentioned in detail. How large a Danish-Norwegian mission field we have in America may be seen from the table below. Only those States with a large Scandinavian population are given. The total is for the entire country. Census of 1900| STATES |
NORWEGIANS |
DANES |
SWEDES |
|---|
| California |
15,180 |
27,120 |
43,646 |
| Colorado |
3,447 |
6,150 |
32,295 |
| Connecticut |
2,118 |
6,747 |
48,492 |
| Illinois |
89,928 |
46,938 |
297,441 |
| Iowa |
76,902 |
51,306 |
89,625 |
| Kansas |
4,431 |
8,442 |
45,442 |
| Massachusetts |
10,005 |
7,310 |
124,476 |
| Michigan |
22,746 |
18,470 |
80,868 |
| Minnesota |
314,675 |
48,897 |
346,428 |
| Montana |
10,662 |
3,123 |
. . . . |
| Nebraska |
8,632 |
37,593 |
74,079 |
| New Jersey |
6,888 |
11,697 |
22,011 |
| New York |
35,803 |
26,248 |
128,124 |
| North Dakota |
90,612 |
11,859 |
25,257 |
| Oregon |
8,367 |
4,989 |
13,665 |
| South Dakota |
59,364 |
15,114 |
26,041 |
| Texas |
4,068 |
3,267 |
13,464 |
| Utah |
6,384 |
27,326 |
21,075 |
| Washington |
29,673 |
10,878 |
38,211 |
| Wisconsin |
184,725 |
48,513 |
78,588 |
| Total |
1,200,000 |
450,000 |
1,800,000 |
The Scandinavian population of America is increasing very rapidly. There were more than twice as many Scandinavians here in 1900 as there were in 1880. The Scandinavians cling loyally to their own language and nation. Ninety-two per cent of the Swedes, eighty-seven per cent of the Norwegians, and eighty-six per cent of the Danes in America have both parents of the same nationality. The Danish-Norwegians in America are, like the great majority of people in this money-mad age, intensely materialistic. They come to America, like the majority of emigrants, to make money; and they make it. The Norwegians18in America have more money than all the Norwegians in Norway. They are in fact two dollars richer per capita than any other nationality in this country. Of the four hundred and fifty thousand Danes in America, six per cent belong to some church. Of the one million two hundred thousand Norwegians, thirty-three per cent are members of a church, and nearly all are members of the Lutheran Church with its lifeless forms and ceremonies. Secret societies, lodges, unions, etc., flourish, but of religious revival there is but very little. I do not mean by this statement that the Danes and Norwegians are the most irreligious people. It has, indeed, been said that the Norwegians are the most religious of any Protestant nation. The REVIEW readers know that people everywhere in this time have drifted far away from the truth. The Work Done — The Workers
Statistics are intensely interesting and very useful. We Danish-Norwegians are, however, so closely connected with our American conferences that it is no easy matter to secure accurate and full statistics of our work. Of this I am certain, the figures given in the table below are not too large. | STATES |
Church-Members |
Mission Workers |
Ordained Ministers |
Baptized in 1906 |
|---|
| Iowa |
251 |
1 |
1 |
17 |
| Minnesota |
273 |
3 |
1 |
17 |
| Nebraska |
163 |
3 |
1 |
18 |
| South Dakota |
183 |
3 |
2 |
7 |
| North Dakota |
91 |
. . |
. . |
. . |
| Illinois |
167 |
4 |
1 |
17 |
| Maine |
16 |
. . |
. . |
. . |
| New York |
66 |
4 |
1 |
31 |
| Washington |
70 |
2 |
1 |
14 |
| Oregon |
105 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
| California |
35 |
. . |
. . |
. . |
| Wisconsin |
190 |
6 |
2 |
17 |
| Michigan |
21 |
. . |
. . |
. . |
| Utah |
50 |
3 |
2 |
20 |
| Canada |
41 |
2 |
2 |
12 |
| Other |
12 |
5 |
2 |
50 |
| Total |
1,734 |
37 |
17 |
226 |
In this table we have counted only those who really are Danish-Norwegian in spirit, those who read our language, take our paper, attend our meetings. If we had reckoned all the Adventists of Danish-Norwegian descent, the figures would have been at least a third larger. Many of our foreign missionaries are Scandinavians. Not a few Danish-Norwegian brethren labor wholly in the American language. Twenty-one of our best laborers have gone from America to labor in Denmark and Norway. In 1875 there were, according to Elder Matteson’s statement, two hundred Danish-Norwegian Sabbath-keepers in America, which indicates that our number has doubled every ten years. It is not possible at this time to give a detailed statement of the money given by the Danish-Norwegians to the cause. There is but one State in which our workers receive more in wages than our Danish-Norwegian brethren pay in tithe. In most of the States our brethren bring at least twice as much tithe as our workers are paid. This is by no means written in a complaining spirit. Far from it. We are indeed glad that this is true, especially so now when so much tithe goes to the South and to the foreign work. I know of no State where the American brethren do not treat our workers liberally and right. We have no institutions of our own to finance, consequently we have no debt. We have raised some money for educational and missionary purposes, and have gotten what was needed. It was voted at the institute to raise a fund out of which we could assist needy students — this to be done after counsel with the State conferences. The Circulation of Our Literature
Of Danish-Norwegian books the following have been sold in America: “Great Controversy,” 20,000 copies; “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation,” 10,000; “Patriarchs and Prophets,” 5,000; “Prophecies of Jesus,” 5,000; “Object Lessons,” 5,000; thousands of “Bible Readings,” “Life of Christ,” “Steps to Christ,” “Christ our Saviour,” “Sunshine at Home,” and a number of smaller books, pamphlets, and tracts. During the last six months of 1906 we increased the subscription list of our Danish paper by six hundred and thirty-three new yearly subscribers over and above the loss of old subscribers. It was planned at the meeting to continue this work the coming year. Our paper has three thousand subscribers. Last year it was self-supporting. In 1875 we had in our language twenty-three tracts and pamphlets, and no large books. At the present time we have fifteen large books, eighteen pamphlets, and sixty-five tracts. Our greatest need now is not to get more literature, but to distribute what we have on hand. However, we also need more books and tracts. We need more of the “Testimonies” in our language. We can never expect to get all the “Testimonies” in the Danish. But we need more selections from them. It must be our constant aim to get as good a collection of books and tracts as possible. Last fall Elder Conradi’s book on the “Revelation” was printed in the Danish-Norwegian. This is a very valuable addition to our literature, as it is adapted to the Danish manner of thinking. It ought to have a large sale as a subscription book among our people in America. In 1888 Elder J. G. Matteson held two short Bible schools, one at Minneapolis, the other in Chicago. In 1890 the Danish department of Union College was opened. More laborers have been educated there for our work than in all the other schools we have had. At the present time there are thirty-one students in that department, which is more than there have been for some years. It was planned to make a strong effort to induce a greater number of students to attend the school. A More Efficient Ministry
We spent much time at the institute in considering the studies and the work of a minister, as for instance: Prayer, How and What to Study, Preparations of Sermons, City Advertising, The Order of a Series of Lectures, Visiting the Sick and those Interested, Work for Our Churches, Distributing Literature. Daily progress in these matters is needed if we are to raise the standard of the ministry. One year ago a Danish-Norwegian reading circle was started for our work- workers. In this we read four good, well-written Danish-Norwegian books on missions, history, science, or theology each year. These books are ordered in Norway and Denmark so as to get the best language possible. Another definite plan to assist the younger ministers in obtaining the necessary preparation is set forth in the following resolution adopted at this institute:— “Whereas, the Lord has said that ministers ought to have as thorough an education as possible, and that licentiates should be carefully examined in reference to their literary qualifications before they are ordained to the high calling of the ministry; therefore,—
“1. Resolved, That we recommend our young ministers to read the following books, before their ordination, the same to be arranged in a three years’ course by Brethren C. A. Thorp and L. H. Christian: The Bible by course, once a year for three years; the first five volumes of the ‘Testimonies,’ ‘Early Writings’ (Danish), ‘Great Controversy’ (Danish), ‘Patriarchs and Prophets’ (Danish), Andrew’s ‘History of the Sabbath,’ ‘Education,’ a good Danish ancient and medieval history, a good Danish church history.
“2. We recommend further, that they be asked to pass an examination in the following studies: Danish-Norwegian grammar and rhetoric, arithmetic, geography, bookkeeping, physiology, history of missions.
“3. We recommend that the superintendent of the Danish-Norwegian work in America and one other ordained minister shall assist these licentiates in their studies and examine them before they are ordained.
“4. We recommend that our conferences as far as practicable counsel with an experienced Danish minister and the superintendent before ordaining any Danish-Norwegian minister.”
Aside from the above-named books and studies the young ministers are expected to read the four books each year in the reading circle, they are asked to read all our small tracts at least once, and some of them are asked to take up the study of Greek. The Tract and Missionary Work
The most discouraging feature of our cause and the most difficult problem before us is the missionary work in our churches. Many of our church missionary societies are practically dead. Last fall only three of our thirty-three churches took a club of our papers for missionary purposes. At the present time twelve take a club. Only a few churches do any systematic tract work or hold regular missionary meetings. We have sold from eighteen to forty-five thousand copies of our annual special number. But that is at best rather a spasmodic missionary effort. We need something more permanent all through the year. This is a question that demands very careful study. Many of our Danish-Norwegian brethren are willing to work, if they can get hold of a workable plan. There is need of a living, active organization. How to get this is the difficult problem. The International Publishing Association has appointed Hansigne Strunge, of College View, Neb., as Danish-Norwegian corresponding secretary. This will help us. We19will also publish tabulated quarterly reports of the missionary work done by churches and individuals. I believe that if our American brethren will help us in the matter of organization and reporting, we can before long get an active missionary work started in our churches. Memorial to Our American Brethren
It was voted to publish in Danish-Norwegian quite a full report of this missionary institute. In this pamphlet there is to be some special instruction on Church Order, Duties of Church Officers, a brief statement of what Adventists believe, with some facts and statistics from the last Year-Book. On the last day of the institute a memorial to our American brethren was unanimously adopted. We were desirous of having it clearly understood that we Danish-Norwegians wish no separate conference, and we assure our American brethren of our faith in, and loyalty to, the great message of truth as well as to the splendid local and general church and mission organization given us by God. We ask our American brethren to remember us in their prayers and to help us in the work of bringing the saving word of God to our country people.