TORDENSKJOLD FREE LUTHERAN
ON FRIDAY, THE 28TH OF JULY, 1871, SOME NORWEGIANS AND DANES GATHERED AT CHRIST JENSEN'S HOME TO ORGANIZE IN JESUS' NAME AN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CONGREGATION. THE NAME GIVEN THE NEW CONGREGATION WAS "THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN TORDENSKJOLD CONGREGATION OF OTTER TAIL COUNTY, MINNESOTA."
TORDENSKJOLD'S FIRST SYNODICAL CONNECTIONS WERE WITH THE FORMER NORWEGIAN-DANISH LUTHERAN CONFERENCE. THERE WAS A BRIEF AFFILIATION WITH THE FORMER NORWEGIAN UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH FROM 1890 TO 1893, BUT THEREAFTER THE CONGREGATION CAME INTO FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LUTHERAN FREE CHURCH WHOSE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPALS WERE ADOPTED IN 1915. PRESENT PARISH TIES WITH KVAM AND SARPSBORG WERE ESTABLISHED IN 1884. IN 1937, ZION OF DALTON WAS ADDED TO THE PARISH. IN 1963 WHE THE LUTHERAN FREE CHURCH MERGED WITH THE AMERICAN LUTHERAN CHURCH, THE TORDENSKJOLD CONGREGATION, ALONG WITH ZION, KVAM AND SARPSBORG CHOSE TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT AND LATER BECAME A CHARTER MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF FREE LUTHERAN CONGREGATIONS. The tordenskjold congregation marked 150 years of ministry in the summer of 2021, celebrating that milestone the following summer. you can watch the celebration service on the parish youtube channel.
