NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN MISSION WEBSITE
The Norwegian Lutheran Mission is headquartered in Norway. For those of you who can read Norwegian and would like to know more about the NLM, visit the following web site:
HOW IT STARTED
It was the interest in and the love for mission in China that was the background for the start of the Norwegian Lutheran Mission (at that time called The Norwegian Lutheran China Mission) in 1891. The same year, the first missionaries were sent to China. Later, they also went to North Manchuria. When Communist China was closed for Christian mission, the work continued among the Chinese in Hong Kong and Taiwan. At the end of the forties and the beginning of the fifties, NLM started work also in Japan, Tanzania and Ethiopia. In the seventies, Kenya, Indonesia, Peru and Bolivia became fields of work for NLM. In the autumn of 1984, the first missionaries were sent to the Ivory Coast.
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES
The Norwegian Lutheran Mission is a free and independent organization within the Church of Norway. NLM was born out of a Christian revival at the end of the 1890’s, and the organization wishes to carry on this revival in Norway and in the mission countries. NLM wants the mission to be led by gifts of grace which God gives to people in the local mission groups; the lay people have both the right and the calling to a legitimate service in the Kingdom of God. The Norwegian Lutheran Mission needs you in the service for the Gospelboth within and outside Norway.
THE MISSION GROUPS
Those who founded the Norwegian Lutheran Mission stated that the basis of a strong foreign mission must be hard work in the home country. Today about 4,300 mission groups, youth groups, junior groups and child groups are affiliated to NLM. These groups are the backbone in the work. Here, children, youths and adults gather to hear the Gospel, receive information about the mission work, give their offerings to the mission and pray for the work. The main part of the income to the mission is offerings from such group gatherings.
The Norwegian Lutheran Mission’s first school, The Mission School, was opened as early as 1898. Since then, more schools, Bible schools, an agricultural school and a media school have been opened. The first kindergarten was started in 1968. Today, NLM has more than 60 kindergartens in various places in Norway. In addition to the schools and the kindergartens, NLM has 29 camp-sites which are important means to reach children and youths with the word of God. Many of the camp-sites have also been authorized as camp schools with permanent pedagogic personnel.
The Norwegian Lutheran Mission’s main periodical, Utsyn, is the largest periodical in Norway with a circulation of 42,000 (1984). In addition, there is the youth magazine Ungdomog Tiden, the children’s magazine Blaveisen, and the pictorial Ut i all verden. ELIM, the tract mission of NLM produces and spreads tracts and booklets. The publishing houses Lunde and Gry publish books; Lunde publishes the periodical Fast Grunn. Biblia is NLMs correspondence course which offers biblical subjects, mission and ethics, Teachers and students receive economic support from the government. Lynor produces records, cassettes and films from the mission work.
RADIO WORK
Early on, the Norwegian Lutheran Mission became engaged in radio mission — Norea Radio started broadcasting in 1956. The programs are sent to many countries in various languages. In addition, NLM broadcasts on 19 local radio stations in different places in Norway.