Elling Eielsen ordained first Norwegian Lutheran minister in America

Background. Elling Eielsen was born in Voss, Norway, in 1804 and immigrated to the United States in 1839. He was formally ordained as a Lutheran minister in 1843 by Francis Arnold Hoffmann, a German Lutheran pastor. This ordination established him as the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in the United States, a status recognized by historical sources.

Synod Founding. In 1846, Eielsen led a group of Haugean Lutherans to found the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, later known as the Eielsen Synod. The founding occurred at the Jefferson Prairie Settlement in Wisconsin.

Later Activity. Eielsen remained with the synod for over thirty years, continuing as pastor-at-large for Norwegian-American communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Texas. By 1876, the synod had grown to 24 pastors, 59 congregations, and 7,500 members. The synod continued under the 1846 constitution in Jackson, Minnesota, with a small membership remaining in 1985.