-
Johan Oscar Smith Background:
-Born in 1871 and died in 1943
-Originally a member of the Methodist Church in Norway
-Served in the Norwegian Navy
-Good establishment connections in several Norwegian coastal towns Foundation of the Church:
-Johan Oscar Smith is the church's founder and began preaching to small gatherings of people in 1898 -
Establishment:
-Evangelical non-denominational church
-Teachings based on the New Testament of the bible and that it is the word of God
-Faith in Jesus as the son of God, faith in the Holy Spirit, forgivness of sin, baptism, and the Lord's Supper
-Early 20th Century
-Worldwide, only a third of the members live in Norway -
Elias Aslaksen Background:
-Met Johan Oscar Smith in 1908 while serving in the Norweigan Navy
-Planned on traveling to China as a missionary before his involvement in the church with Smith
-Preached the message of "sanctification through victory over sin" Expansion of the Church
-Johan Oscar Smith, Aksel Smith, and Elias Aslaksen lead the church in it's early years as it starting growing rapidly
-Smith died in 1943 where Aslaksen takes over and continues his work within the church -
Church Growth:
-In 1956 the church acquires land in Brusntad, Norway which eventually became known as the Brunstad Conference Center
-1950's-1960's the church reached an international status establishing congregations in Europe, North American, and Austrailia -
Background on Sigurd Bratlie:
-Served as a church apprentice next to Smith in 1920
-He was internationally known around the world as a missionary traveler and was arrested several times for conducting missionary activities in the 1970's
-He published several articles and journals about Christianity and his beliefs/testimony Further Growth in the Church:
-Elias Aslaksen died in 1976 where the leadership shifts again to Sigurd Bratlie
-Bratlie brought attention and structure to the church -
Modernization:
-In 1996 the church was officially named Brunstad Christian Church (BCC)
-In the early 2000's the church continued to expand through social media presence on their channel, BrunstadTV
-Another leader is brought up in 2006 after Sigurd Bratlie dies, the new leader is Kare J. Smith who is Johan's grandson
-Around the 1210's the church shifts their focus to contirbutions in youth programs and global events -
Recent Development:
-In 2021 the church moves toward a federation model meaning they set apart their spiritual mission from their business operations
-Present- the church remains active in Christian fellowship between their followers and has congregations in over 50 countries with a total of 20,000+ total members Controversies:
-Media scrutiny came in strong over the financial transparency and leadership dynamics of the church in 2022