Hans Nielsen Hauge

Revivalist Lay Preacher and Father of Modern Norway

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Norway was a poor colony of Denmark.  90% of the population were farmers, there were no universities and schooling was poor, and people could barely feed their families, many starving to death for lack of food.

However, a significant transformation began to occur taking Norway from national poverty to a wealthy country with major economic growth.  The key catalyst in this change taking place was Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771-1824).

As a young, lay preacher, Hague, an unschooled son of a poor farmer, travelled the length and breadth of Norway, preaching in homes, writing, and establishing businesses.  Hague taught that Jesus was Lord over all of life and that Christians were to view their work as an act of worship to God.  He encouraged people to work diligently and for the improvement of society.

Hauge's teaching resulted in a national movement (the Haugian Awakening) leading to many changes both in the church and in society.  Writing extensively, his teachings were printed and over 200,000 copies of his books were distributed throughout the country.  In the businesses that he started, having become a certified tradesman, Hauge provided work for the young, the unemployed, and to those who were handicapped.  He provided a daily salary and was the first to develop a pension scheme for his employees.

What John Wesley was for England in the eighteenth century, Hauge was for Norway in the nineteenth century.  Opposition caused him to spend a time in prison although towards the end of his life, Hauge had become highly respected by the government authorities.

After Hauge's death, his legacy continued through those who had been impacted by his life and ministry.  In 1842, Haugians and Moravians started Norway's first mission agency, the Norwegian Mission Society.  This became a major factor in Norway becoming the top missionary-sending country per capita.  In the political arena, many Haugians became members of the Norwegian parliament.

(Source: Revolutionaries and Anti-Revolutionaries: Discipling Nations in the Modern Era, by Jeff Fountain, published in His Kingdom Come, by YWAM Publishing, 2008)