Essays and Addresses

These addresses and essays have a particular historical value and significance for the ELS.

Convention Addresses

Addresses written by ELS presidents and delivered to the annual synod convention.

Convention Essays

Essays delivered at ELS Conventions

18 Addresses of H.A. Preus

On This Rock: Translations from the ministry of the Reverend President Herman Amberg Preus (June 16, 1825 - July 2, 1894)

25 Addresses and Sermons of H. A. Preus

On This Rock: 25 Addresses and Sermons of H. A. Preus

Aaberg: Essay on Church Fellowship

This essay was orginally presented to the 1977 ELS General Pastoral Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which met January 4-7. The Reverend Theodore A. Aaberg was at that time the recently installed president of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary in Mankato, MN. He began serving as the seminary's first full-time president on August 1, 1976 and served in this office until 1979 when ill health made it impossible for him to continue. On January 8, 1980, the Lord called him to his eternal rest. President Aaberg had served as a parish pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod for 25 years prior to his term as the president of the seminary. He also was president of the Synod briefly from 1962-63. In 1968 his A City Set on a Hill, a commemorative volume detailing the history of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod from 1918-1968, was published under the direction of the synod. One may also find Pres. Aaberg's essay on church fellowship printed in the Winter issue of the 1976-77 Lutheran Synod Quarterly.

The Doctrine of the Norwegian Synod

An essay by Christian Anderson, translated from Norwegian and published by the ELS. This was extracted from his synodical address in 1927.

Wisconsinism

 

Jacob Aal Ottesen Biography

Though he was a gifted student in Norway, Ottesen had no wish to ascend the ranks of the Norwegian state church. Instead, he desired to serve his countrymen who were traveling overseas. After receiving a call to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, he and his new bride sailed to America in 1852. They remained in this new land for the rest of their lives. Along with H. A. Preus and U. V. Koren, Ottesen is considered one of the foremost Lutheran theologians in the Norwegian Synod. He was truly a theologian shaped by oratio (prayer), meditatio (meditation on the Word), and tentatio (affliction and struggle), as his biography reveals. By the grace of God, Ottesen’s faithful administration of Word and Sacrament has borne fruit throughout the history of the Norwegian Synod, the church body now known as the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

Jacob Aal Ottesen: Photos

These photos were published with the above biography.