Churches in Norway

Over a 200 year period in the Middle Ages, around 1,200 stave churches were built in Norway. Thirty of these are still standing. What is a "stave" church? Characteristics for a stave church are their vertical posts and wall planks resting upon sills (ground beams). This is known as a stave wall. No nails were used in the construction. All joints were dovetailed. The St. Andrew crosses and rounded arches act as braces, strengthening the construction.

These churches were built in the 1100's at a time when paganism was giving way to Christianity. According to A.B.W.E.'s website on Norway: "in approximately A.D. 1000, Catholicism was forced on Norwegian society at the edge of the sword. During the Reformation, the State Church became Lutheran. Eighty-seven percent of the population are nominal members of the State Church. However, only about 50 percent believe that God exists, only 10 percent profess some sort of personal relationship with God, and less than 3 percent attend any sort of religious service on the average Sunday. Most Norwegians go to church only on special occasions, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings, funerals, and Christmas; they feel that all religions are basically the same."

We visited this stave church:












We also visited the "queen of Norwegian churches" - the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. I believe this is a Catholic church. We were there on a Sunday and they were holding services. It was unbelievably ornate and huge. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but these outside shots will give you an idea of what it must have been like.

I thought the insights into the Norwegian people that I read on ABWE's website (http://www.abwe.org/serve/fields/Norway.asp) were interesting, so I am including the following:
Norway's standard of living, life expectancy and cost of living are among the highest in the world. From approximately 1,700 hydro-electric plants Norwegians receive inexpensive electricity, which they consume at the highest per capita rate in the world. Because of its North Sea oil fields, Norway is the only western country that exports more oil than it consumes.
The government of Norway is a constitutional monarchy with legislative power vested in the Storting (parliament). The king's role is primarily symbolic.
Tolerance, kindness and equality are important Norwegian ideals. Norwegians take great pride in national and individual independence. Sincerity in friendship is greatly prized, but the expression of personal feelings is held in reserve.
The first ABWE church planting team arrived in Norway during the summer of 1981. The team is concentrated in the large housing developments and apartment complexes in the greater Oslo metropolitan area, planning for extension into the greater Bergen and Trondheim metropolitan areas.
The greatest challenges in Norway today are secularism, materialism, religious indifference, relativism and nominal church membership. These create a difficult but challenging field of service.