Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Updated Country Profile - Norway

Click here to access the updated Reaching the Nations country profile for Norway. The Church in Norway has arguably experienced one of the slowest growth rates during the past century in the worldwide Church as Church membership has increased from only 1,507 in 1930 to 4,598 in 2018. It has taken nearly 20 years for the Church to report a net increase of 600 members between the late 1990s and 2018. Most convert baptisms in recent years have appeared to be immigrants from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The Church in Norway maintains an impressive level of national outreach as 53% of the population lives within 10 kilometers of a Church meetinghouse or a city or town with its own ward or branch. The establishment of a second stake in Drammen in 2012 indicated some progress with leadership development although the number of active members nationwide has not appeared to noticeably change in two decades. Oslo appears a likely candidate for a small temple one day as Norway is the only Nordic country with at least 1,000 members without a temple. See below for the future prospects section of the article.

The Church has established congregations in most areas and has the basic infrastructure to meet outreach needs in most areas, but secularism remains a cultural influence that has reduced receptivity. The missionary complement assigned to Norway has been cut to less than half of its prior levels without noticeably affecting growth. The Church depends heavily on the larger Latter-day Saint populations in the Oslo area and in a few additional cities such as Bergen to stabilize the national church population and looks to this region for future growth. Many members in small branches are considering moving to the Oslo area that, over time, may lead to additional consolidations of smaller branches in northern Norway. The heavy emigration of Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century has continued, although at a slower rate in recent years and has made local growth harder to achieve. Outreach directed toward youth is needed due to low birth rates among Latter-day Saints and the small number of youth converts in order to ensure long term growth.

26 comments:

  1. Thanks David and Matt for the update on Norway.
    Norway is just a fantastic country to live in, I have lived in USA, UK, Sweden and Italy – but I choose to raise my family in Norway (if you're an active member and looking for the promised land – please come to Norway. – big smile)
    It is considered one of the best countries in the world with regards to the living standards and quality of life for its people. It's a beautiful country and I believe God has blessed the people of Norway because they are following principles that result in blessings – like; equal rights, sharing their wealth, focusing on environmental issues, general freedoms of individual to choose what they feel is most important in their lives (I’m not saying that Norway doesn’t have problem, because they do – all I’m saying is that they do very well when compared to most other countries) – and yet very few embrace the restored gospel. Why? There are many reasons for this, one is - we are not “one” with regards to the missionary work.

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  2. David and Matt have written: “Change in the structure of the missionary program organization to help reconcile disconnect between mission leadership and local leadership” – I have been waiting over 30 years for this change to come. I would love to see it happen – at present we are not “one” with regards to missionary work. There should only be one line of “command” and that should go through the local leadership. I have had many comprehensive discussions with local leaders from many European countries and I have yet to find one that agrees with the current program. What they often see is inactive (non committed) investigators, that are baptized and then become inactive members. The result over time is that they distant themselves from the missionary work because they really have no say.

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  3. David and Matt have written a great update on Norway – and I would like to add to the “Church History” section. In 1825 the first organized emigration of Norwegian to America took place – 52 people left the city of Stavanger for New York. Looking for more freedom of religion, the ships name was “Restoration” believe it or not. Of the 52 – 7 or 8 joined the Church in La Salle County, Illinois - when the Church was run from Nauvoo. It was the first group of non-English speaking people that joined the Church. At the time of Joseph Smith death, there were over 200 Norwegian members in Illinois. In June of 1844, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Parley P. Pratt visited the La Salle branch and purchased 160 acres of land and laid out a city called “Norway” and dedicated a temple lot for the Norwegian people. Joseph Smith had said, "that the Scandinavians would in time come to play a significant role in the church” – he said this after inviting a Norwegian to eat with him and this family – the Norwegian was in Nauvoo with the tithing and offering of the La Salle branch.
    The first translation of the BoM from English was into Danish in 1850, Danish was the Norwegian written language. Some of the most loved artist and writers in the church were Norwegian (Torleif Knaphus, Danquart A. Weggeland, Nephi Anderson and more). John A. Widtsoe, an apostle was Norwegian – (what a fascinating life). There were only 3 women in the first group of saints into the Great Salt Lake valley in 1847, one was Norwegian (Aagot Sanders Kimball). By the way none of this is taught in the Church in Norway – Norwegian members do not know of their rich history.

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    1. I've heard of Torlief Knaufus. I met his grandson at the Church Museum of History and Art at Temple Square. He told me all about his history and how he designed some of the early Angel Moroni statues. There is even one of them on display upstairs (that they've removed from a steeple) that you can go see up close.

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    2. @Rolf

      I appreciate you telling about the LA Salle Branch and the plans for a "Norway" temple. I'd never heard of it, either, but I found an article to corroborate:


      "Never-built Norway: The Mormon town once planned for La Salle County"

      https://www.mywebtimes.com/articles/tn/2012/10/14/43e6e4c6aa2c5e12ade0a7ef2ba1a40b/index.xml

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  4. One program that has been very successful in our little ward in Norway, has been having an institute building in the central part of town with a senior couple hosting the center. I taught the institute class from 2011 to 2017. I love analyzing numbers and I kept an overview of the class in these years. In these years there were 29 official members of the class that were members of the church. Of these 29, 26 remained active in this period. 11 went on missions, 8 married, 11 had been members less than 5 years and 23 had calling in the Church. At the time we would have between 60 – 70 members attend Church on a Sunday – on Fridays evening’s we would have between 20 – 40 at institute, with many investigators. This is a program that could be adopted in many cities – if they invested in a central building - with a senior couple hosting the center. Because most new members of the Church are young adults without a family in the Church to support them – so the institute center is their home away from home – that can help keep them active.

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  5. I worked overseas with Norwegians. They were solid, awesome.
    I also attended a church group with a brother from Norway. They had 5 children as I recall. Too bad the growth rate is not greater but perhaps a temple can open up some hearts and minds.

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  6. Thanks Johnathan
    It sad that we do not teach about this fantastic history to the present-day Norwegian saints – it’s almost a disrespect for the sacrifices that they made to further the work of the Lord. I think they would want us to feel connected with them – so we can learn and be inspired by their example. The Lord really blessed them. I have found so many great stories in missionary diaries, but it’s not easily available.

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  7. Another great Norwegian Saint immigrant who recently passed away. (Please Google him by name!) Roy Samuelsen. He was my bishop in the 1980s when I was deacon, possibly into teacher, in Bloomington, Indiana. Roy was an opera singer and voice instructor.
    Both Roy's grandmothers were members in Norway when the Germans occupied them. They met clandestinely as faithful members. Roy emigrated to Utah at age 15, I think. Raised his three sons in Indiana, one of whom, Eric, who became a notable playwright and professor at BYU.
    Great church member and personal example of a Norwegian of faith.

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  8. The thing is that one of the most active recent converts in my branch had her baptism initially opposed by the relief society president, while one of the people baptized in the last year who was most openly embraced into the branch has since gone totally inactive.

    Also considering how judgemental I have seen some people be in relation to law of chastity issues, part of me fears more local control of the baptismal process would lead to rules against baptizing teenagers with children.

    People need to catch the vision of the gosple and a view that it has a power to lift and transform people.

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  9. Thanks Eduardo, it would be great if Erik Samuelsen had a diary that his father kept. There are so many interesting life stories.
    Thanks John, I think it’s important that the “power to lift and transform” starts before baptism. The scriptures are inspiring, see D&C 20:37. I love the missionaries and the sacrifice they make – but I worry that we put them under to much stress to baptize. There is a historical reason for this practice. The early missionaries where also the local leaders of the branches they served – they were often married, had the longest experience in the Church and had the highest priesthood authority. Today the typical missionary is the youngest of the Melchizedek priesthood holders, the least experience in the Church, and often does not know the local customs. I think we put them in an unfair situation. We need to be “one”.

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  10. Yes, Rolf. The youngest Samuelsen is named Rolf. Eric served in Norway and has done translations of Ibsen, I think. Rob and Rolf served in Japan and ... Ahh, I can't recall where Rolf served his mission!
    Incidentally, Roy's grandmothers were faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ in WW Ii, but I guess not his grandfathers. Roy and Mary served a senior mission in retirement, in Norway, way up north. The fifth fjord down, I believe.

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  11. Looking forward to more info on the Salt Lake Temple renovation tomorrow.

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  12. Salt Lake Temple renovation plans:

    https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/plans-unveiled-salt-lake-temple-renovation

    This is going to be a big project. Complete seismic retrofit, demolition and construction of new buildings, tunnel underneath North Temple from the Conference Center parking directly to the temple. Looking forward to watching this project and seeing the end result.

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  13. The question of how many languages the endowment was in has been partially answered also, 86 will be available when it reopens for work, they will also have the film version when a language is needed, but live presentation in English will still be there.

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    1. Speaking of endowment languages (this is just a personal note), I got to attend my first ever endowment session in Spanish today at the Ogden Temple!

      We tried to get them to let us do one in Spanish as a Spanish Zone at the Louisville Temple on my mission in Kentucky, but no dice.

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  14. Elder Bednar, from about two months ago in Mexico, he spoke in English with a Spanish translator, relates to church growth, reactivation, etc.

    https://www.facebook.com/comunidadSUDmex/videos/1932664923676655/

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  15. Matt, yesterday on Classic Maps, appeared new District. The "Kitale Kenya" District.

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  16. Soubre Cote d'Ivoire District
    - Meagui 4th Branch created
    - Meagui 5th Branch created

    Kpong Ghana District
    - Somanya Branch created

    Kitale Kenya District created
    - Kitale, Mautuma, Misikhu, Naitiri, Sikhendu Branches transferred from Eldoret Kenya District

    Benin City Nigeria New Benin Stake
    - Okhoro Ward renamed Okhoro 1st Ward
    - Okhoro 2nd Branch created

    Enugu Nigeria Stake
    - Ugboezeji Branch created

    Okrika Nigeria District
    - Unyeada Branch created

    Bo Sierra Leone East District
    - Pujehun Branch created

    Uganda Kampala Mission
    - Kamonkoli Branch renamed Mugiti Branch

    Jeonju Korea Stake
    - Jeonju Ward renamed Deokjin Ward
    - Jungang Ward renamed Wansan Ward

    Ipoh Malaysia District
    - Butterworth Branch discontinued
    - Sitiawan Branch discontinued

    São Paulo Brazil São Miguel Paulista Stake
    - Parque Boturussu Ward created

    Mesa Arizona Central Stake
    - Delmar Ward created
    - Elmwood Ward renamed Fountain Ward
    - Evergreen Ward renamed North Hill Ward
    - Enrose Ward renamed Forest Ward
    - Grandview 1st Ward renamed Glencove Ward
    - Grandview 2nd Ward renamed Inglewood Ward
    - Harris 1st Ward renamed Barkley Ward
    - Harris 2nd Ward renamed Ivyglen Ward
    - Lazona Ward renamed Dartmouth Ward

    Lafayette Indiana Stake
    - Purdue University Ward (Student Single) renamed Lafayette YSA Ward

    Jackson Mississippi Stake
    - Clinton 1st Ward renamed Clinton Ward
    - Clinton 2nd Ward discontinued

    Independence Missouri Stake
    - Santa Fe Branch (Spanish) upgraded to Ward

    Kansas City Missouri Stake
    - Lee's Summit 2nd Ward renamed Longview Lake Ward

    Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Stake
    - McKeesport Branch discontinued
    - Uniontown Branch discontinued

    Farr West Utah Poplar Stake
    - Poplar 3rd Ward created

    Heber City Utah North Stake
    - Wasatch View Ward created
    - Valley Hills 1st Ward renamed Valley Hills Ward
    - Valley Hills 2nd Ward renamed Heber 2nd Ward

    St George Utah YSA 2nd Stake
    - Boulder Ridge YSA Ward created

    Salt Lake Utah South Stake (Tongan)
    - Herriman 7th Ward (Tongan) created

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  17. Sad to see 2 Malaysian branches discontinued. Especially saddened since one of those branches is where I began my mission (when it was only a group). I guess there's a chance it could be part of a plan to strengthen the neighboring branches to get them to a potential ward level that could be helpful for the creation of the stake if the KL district absorbed the now 2 branch Ipoh district. Probably not likely that that is the case, but I hope it is.

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  18. It looks like Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina will become a stake during the first weekend of June.

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  19. I am glad to see the unit in Lafayette Indiana made officially YSA. This gives me hope the other hold out singles units will be elimanated soon. On a related note the YSA branch in my stake has really stepped up on facilitating attendance by those in the inner city.

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  20. Unknown: would that be Pittsburgh?
    Also, why does a creation of a YSA ward signal the elimination of others?

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  21. I think Unknown was referring to the remaining Student or Student Single units being re-designated as YSA units. There are presently only 24 Student or Student Single units left in the U.S. Additionally, there are 112 Married Student Wards. Presumably, these Student Single wards and branches only cater to single students, but YSA units would cater to all 18-30 year old young single adults. During the last 10 years, we have seen the majority of these Student Single units converted into YSA units.

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  22. Some of the remaining student units function as de facto YSA units. The one in Kalamazoo Michogan though at times has incorporated both married and single students. The one in East Lansing is explicitly only for singles. With the 50,000 plus students at MSU plus others at Lansing Community College it is hard for the unit to avoid being dominated so much by those 25 and others that those over 25 feel they have a place. Plus the geographical size of the stake nakes even students at Hillsdale College unlikely to feel a strong pull to a unit meeting in Lansing. Rhe unique LDS Student living center apartments in Lansing also have a part in these dynamics.

    Kalamazoo has the same thing going on with that city dominated by the huge Western Michigan University and the outlying parts of the stake also far away.

    Lansing does not only have the law school of MSU but the main campus of the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, so there are lots of issues involved.

    Since about 2010 the Church has clearly not wanted YSA and student single units in the same location and remaining student units I think have been clearly open to people who are not at all students.

    By 2012 there was a new push to not allow people to cross stake boundaries to go to a YSA unit if their stake had a student single unit but grandfathered exceptions still existed. Also I am pretty sure that over 31 single students have been directed to npt be in single student units although I was a 31 year old in the Ann Arbor YSA ward as late as 2012 when they had a 35 year old cut off. My understanding is that they have since changed to the standard 31 year old cut off. That stake also made a mid-singles magnet ward but unlike here in Bloomfield Hills Stake they didnt try to create any program for mid-singles in that ward.

    Having been married nearly a year I am largely out of the loop other than knowing Bloomfield Hills YSA has stepped up outreach to the inner city branches, so I cant comment beyond that.

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