Who We Are

Introduction

At the ALC you’ll find a spiritually vibrant and unifying Christian community. This is a diverse congregation, becoming more so every day. We’re from many nations and denominations. We warmly welcome any short-term and long-term visitors to Oslo, ex-pats, embassy personnel, foreign students, singles, families, refugees and tourists. This is a church of Christ and there is a place for you here.

Founded on the initiative of the Lutheran church in the United States, we uphold and value our Lutheran history and traditions. But our mission remains to bring people of different nations and denominations together in the English language to love and serve Jesus Christ.

Denomination

We’re a ship with a Lutheran rudder. However, at any given time the rest of this “ship” is made up of people from different Christian denominations and traditions. Embracing this wonderful diversity is an essential part of who we are and we see it as one of the many ways God has blessed us. Respecting our different traditions, finding our common center in the Trinity and joining together in our mission to serve the English speaking community in Oslo are main elements of who we are as a Christian faith community.

ALC In Oslo

We’re proud to be part of the Oslo scene and want to play our part in making this wonderful city a welcoming place for foreigners. Should you know someone who’s new in town and looking for an English speaking Christian community, please feel free to direct them to the ALC.

Based on our American heritage, we’re a natural community center for Americans in Oslo. We regularly host American groups, events and organizations in Oslo. Contact our church office if you would like to learn more about utilizing our premises for your next meeting or event.

Associations

As an international and ecumenical congregation in Oslo, we’ve built a wide reaching network with other Christian communities across local, regional, European and transatlantic lines. Please visit some of our friendship organisations in and outside of Norway at:

What We Believe

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him, all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Our Faith

In Christ we are one – what does it mean? It’s hard to give justice to such a big and wonderful topic in just a few words. But, a great place to start is in the words of the Nicene Creed. This is an ancient confession of the faith which we share with Christians around the world. Every Sunday we say either this or the Apostle’s Creed, another historic creed. We cherish these faith statements and they remind us that in Christ we are one whatever else might seem to separate the different Christian denominations.

Your Faith

As Christians, our personal relationship with Jesus is a lifelong quest. And we encourage you to explore and study the word together with us through our worship life, our bible studies and other adult education classes and conversations with our pastor.

General Questions

Q: What does it mean that you’re an ecumenical congregation?

A: Ecumenism refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity. As an ecumenical congregation, the most important thing for us is that people focus on Jesus Christ, not on separate church organizations. While the congregations teaching and preaching ministry reflects a Lutheran understanding of centrals issues, our conversations always  mirrors a variety of viewpoints. Our members and friends include Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Church of Norway members, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists and Pentecostals to mention some. As Christians we see the risen Christ at work in the lives of diverse churches, revealing that the unity of Christ’s church has never been lost. Separation between Christians and churches can be overcome in renewed faith in Christ and this is our response his admonition (John 17; also Philippians 2); to be one in him and love one another as a witness to the world. We believe a faithful response to God’s words is to seek unity, not uniformity.

Q: What is the congregation’s relationship with Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)?

A: The American Lutheran Congregation in Oslo was started as a congregation of the American Lutheran Church, one of the predecessor denominations which came together to form the ELCA in 1988. ELCA is the largest Lutheran Church in the U.S with nearly 10,500 congregations across the U.S., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and nearly five million members. Today the pastor of this congregation is always an ELCA pastor. As such he or she serves as an ongoing connection between the congregation and the ELCA. The congregation at times has also served as an internship site for ELCA Seminarians. The congregation also supports the ELCA’s mission work around the world through outreach contributions. For more information about the ELCA: http://www.elca.org.

For more information about ALC, our faith or if you consider becoming a members, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.