Brunstad Christian Church

Brunstad Christian Church (BCC) is a worldwide evangelical

Brunstad Christian
non-denominational Christian church. Established in Norway early
in the 20th century. It is represented by more than 220 churches in Church
54 countries.[1] An overview of members per country shows a total Orientation evangelical, non-
of 20,000 members in 2016. As many as two thirds of its members denominational
live outside Norway.[2] For many years the group did not have a Leader Kåre Johan
formal name and was referred to as Smith's Friends, particularly in
Smith
Norway.[3]
Region Worldwide
Founder Johan Oscar
History
Smith

Johan Oscar Smith (1871–1943), the church's Origin 1905

founder, was originally a member of the Horten, Norway
Methodist church. After a religious conversion Congregations more than 220
in 1898 Smith began preaching to small
gatherings.[4] In 1905, his brother Aksel Members more than
Smith (1880–1919) joined him. Smith had 20,000
early contact with the Pentecostal movement Official website http://bcc.no/ (htt
Johan O. Smith in Norway and Aksel Smith cooperated with p://bcc.no/?lang=
Thomas Ball Barratt during the first few years en)
after Barratt introduced Pentecostalism to
Norway in 1906–1907.[2] As both the Pentecostal movement and Smith's group developed, they became
increasingly wary of each other, with Barrat accusing Smith of creating schism within his group, as some of
his followers joined Smith.[5]

In 1908, Johan Oscar Smith met Elias Aslaksen (1888–1976) while serving in the Norwegian Navy. Under
the leadership of Johan Oscar Smith, Aksel Smith, and Elias Aslaksen the group began to grow quickly.[1]
During World War I, Smith, as a Naval officer, partook in patrols of the Norwegian coast. During this time,
he had contact with believers and churches were established in several Norwegian coastal towns.[1] During
the 1930s churches were established in inland Norway, most notably in Hallingdal and Valdres.[1] During
this period, congregations were also established in Denmark.

From the 1950s, the church began to spread throughout Western Europe, most notably in Germany,
Switzerland, and the Netherlands, after several church leaders were invited to participate in the Pentecostal
conferences held at Leonberg during the 1950s. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Brunstad Christian Church
spread further to Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, Africa and Asia.[1]
Churches were first established in South America in the 1970s.[6]
Today, there are more than 220 congregations in more than 65 countries. The church has annual
international conferences at Oslofjord Convention Center and regional conferences throughout the world.[1]
It has its own publishing house, Skjulte Skatters Forlag, publishing books and distributing audio-visual
media intended for spiritual edification. The monthly journal Skjulte Skatter, ('Hidden Treasures') has been
published every month since 1912.[1]

Organization
Brunstad Christian Church is an association of some 220 churches worldwide. The church has no ordained
clergy and few members have any theological training. Leaders are appointed in each local church
congregation on the basis of their perceived virtue, the confidence of members in the individual and their
natural abilities. There are no elected leaders.[7] When Johan Oscar Smith died in 1943, overall leadership
of the church passed to Elias Aslaksen, followed by Sigurd Bratlie in 1976 and Kåre J. Smith in 1996. The
church is non-denominational and has little formal association with other churches.[3]

Members worldwide

BCC has members in Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Brasil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada,
Chile, China, Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan,
Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia,
Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Turkey,
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, USA.

This is an unofficial list of 'members':

 Number of
Country Source
members

[1] (https://www.ssb.no/kultur-og-fritid/statistikker/trosamf/aar/2016-11-25?
Norway 8,177
fane=tabell&sort=nummer&tabell=285398)

[2] (https://dcg-deutschland.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DCG-Deutsch
Germany 2,650
land_Jahresbericht_DRUCK_compressed.pdf)
[3] (https://web.archive.org/web/20170904204818/https://www.cgninfo.nl/w
The Netherlands 1,882 p-content/uploads/2017/07/Jaarverslag-2016-Stichting-Christelijke-Gemee
nte-Nederland.pdf)

USA/Canada 1,710

Poland/Eastern
1,520
Europe
[4] (http://dagbladet-holstebro-struer.dk/holstebro/De-har-tilsammen-19-Bo
Denmark 810
ern-er-en-gave-fra-Gud/artikel/97989)

Asia 600

Hungary 506
Switzerland 520

South America 510 [5] (http://bcc.no/2017/08/tolkene-i-amazonas/)

Europe (other) 370

South Africa 340

France 340

Great Britain 320

Africa (other) 300

Australia 240
[6] (https://web.archive.org/web/20161025191232/http://www.dkmsuomi.fi/
Finland 230 application/files/4914/6617/0462/Toimintakertomus_2015_4.1_pitka_versi
o.pdf)

Middle East 80

Sweden 2
Total members 20,161

Teachings
Brunstad Christian Church places its basis of faith in the New
Testament and the belief that the Bible is the word of God.
The fundamental elements of their faith are: faith in Jesus as
God's son, faith in the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sin, baptism
and the Lord's Supper.[8][9] They believe that the forgiveness
of sins is undeserved and by received through Divine grace
when one believes in Jesus Christ.[10] They practice the Conference at Oslofjord Convention
baptism of adults by complete immersion into water.[8] Center

As in other evangelical churches, the Bible is central and

believed literally. Books and writings by past and present elders in the movement are held in high regard
within Brunstad Christian Church.[11] The most central internal publications are the monthly magazine,
Skjulte Skatter and Smith's Letters, a collection of letters written by Johan O. Smith, mostly to his brother
Aksel and Elias Aslaksen.

The church claims to differ from other non-denominational evangelical groups in its belief that Jesus not
only died to bring forgiveness of our sins, but that he was also tempted to sin just like every human being.
The church teaches that Jesus' victory over sin as a human being is the basis for personal victory over sin
and transformation into Jesus image for believers, which is defined as the process of sanctification.[12] A
study undertaken by Norwegian theologian Geir Lie concluded that the theology of Brunstad Christian
Church was influenced by the Keswick revival at the turn of the 20th century and by individuals such as
Madame Guyón and Jessie Penn-Lewis.[2]

Mission
Brunstad Christian Church is actively engaged in missionary and humanitarian work
around the globe.[13] According to their official website, they are careful not to mix
their missionary work and humanitarian aid in an effort to ensure that people are not
influenced to a particular teaching or religion simply by the material goods the
missionaries have to offer.[13] Moreover, the church states that it believes in "preaching
the gospel without necessarily giving people hope of better living conditions" and, for
Sigurd Bratlie this reason, "channel money or material goods through social or public organisations
where distribution of goods takes place according to need, and not according to
religious persuasion".[13]

Youth Exchange Program

The Youth Exchange Program (YEP) is an initiative within
Brunstad Christian Church where young people from affiliated
churches around the world volunteer a year to work in church-
related activities and projects.[14] According to the church's
website, the program mainly consists of missionary work,
Norwegian language lessons, volunteer work, culture exchange
and network building. The purpose of the program is to "obtain
better knowledge of the church's basis of faith and its history" and
to "teach and spread knowledge of international languages and
culture".[14] The program was founded in connection with the YEP members at work at Brunstad
expansion of Oslofjord Convention Center[15] and has since been
expanded, so that participants are involved in missionary work and
church activities in many different parts of the world.[14] including the construction projects at local church
properties.[16] Each year, approximately 250 young people aged 18 to 25 years are invited to take part in
the program.[14]

Controversy
A 2020 documentary by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK raised questions about whether BCC is a sect,
and alleged that church leaders were benefiting economically from the church in a manner that could be
illegal.[17] The BCC denied the allegations, and claim that they are part of a misinformation campaign run
by the private Israeli intelligence company Psy-Group on behalf of an ex-member.[18]

Bibliography
Bratli, Kjell Arne (1996): The Way of the Cross: An Account of Smith's Friends. Tananger,
Norway: Skjulte Skatters Forlag. ISBN 82-91305-23-4
Gjøsund, Alf (2004). Seier Likevel: Min Vei ut av Trossamfunnet Smiths Venner (Victory after
all: My Way Out of Smith's Friends Fellowship) (Norwegian). Lunde. ISBN 82-520-4596-0
Velten, Johan (2002). Ansatt av Gud: Et Kritisk Søkelys på Smiths Venner (Appointed by
God: A Critical Review of Smith's Friends) (Norwegian). Genesis. ISBN 82-476-0249-0

References
1. "Official Website" (https://web.archive.org/web/19990125093832/http://www.brunstad.org/).
Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (http://www.brunstad.org/) on 1999-01-
25. Retrieved 2005-01-28.
2. Lie, Gier (2004). "The Christology Among Smith's Friends: A Misunderstood Impulse from
the Keswick Tradition?" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100527204149/http://www.apts.edu/
aeimages//File/AJPS_PDF/04-2-GeirLie.pdf) (PDF). Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies. 7
(2): 305. Archived from the original (http://www.apts.edu/aeimages//File/AJPS_PDF/04-2-Gei
rLie.pdf) (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
3. Streiker, Lowell D (1999). Smith's Friends: A Religion Critic Meets a Free Church Movement.
Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0-275-96084-6.
4. Bratli, Kjell Arne (1995). The Way of the Cross: An Account of Smith's Friends (https://web.ar
chive.org/web/20070402050945/http://www.ka-bratli.com/eng_korsets.htm). Skjulte Skatters
Forlag. pp. 34–38. ISBN 82-91305-23-4. Archived from the original (http://www.ka-bratli.com/
eng_korsets.htm) on 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
5. Bloch-Hoell, Nils (1956). "The Pentecostal Movement: An Analysis of Its Origins,
Development and Characteristics with Particular Emphasis on Its Appearance in Norway".
Oslo: Oslo Universitetsforlaget. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal=
(help)
6. "Our Story" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101113172722/http://www.brunstad.org/en/About
-us/Our-story/). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (http://www.brunstad.or
g/en/About-us/Our-story/) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
7. "Organization and Structure" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101113173120/http://www.brun
stad.org/en/About-us/Life-in-the-church/#Org_strukt). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived
from the original (http://www.brunstad.org/en/About-us/Life-in-the-church/#Org_strukt) on
November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
8. "Baptism" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101113173257/http://www.brunstad.org/en/About-
us/Our-faith/#Daap_nattverd). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (http://w
ww.brunstad.org/en/About-us/Our-faith/#Daap_nattverd) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved
Nov 9, 2010.
9. "Communion" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101113173257/http://www.brunstad.org/en/Ab
out-us/Our-faith/#Nattverd). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (http://ww
w.brunstad.org/en/About-us/Our-faith/#Nattverd) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved
November 9, 2010.
10. "The Forgiveness of Sins and Victory over Sin" (https://web.archive.org/web/201011131732
57/http://www.brunstad.org/en/About-us/Our-faith/#Forlatelse_seier). Brunstad Christian
Church. Archived from the original (http://www.brunstad.org/en/About-us/Our-faith/#Forlatels
e_seier) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
11. "Theology" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101113173257/http://www.brunstad.org/en/About
-us/Our-faith/#Teologi). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (http://www.bru
nstad.org/en/About-us/Our-faith/#Teologi) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9,
2009.
12. Moe, Steinar (2002). Hva lærer Smiths venner? Et bidrag til konfesjonskunnskap. Norway:
Færder Forlag. ISBN 82-7911-038-0.
13. "Missionary work" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110725104538/http://www.brunstad.org/e
n/Themes/Missionary%20work/). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (htt
p://www.brunstad.org/en/Themes/Missionary%20work/) on July 25, 2011. Retrieved
November 9, 2010.
14. "YEP" (https://web.archive.org/web/20101113172943/http://www.brunstad.org/en/About-us/
YEP/#Hva_er_YEP). Brunstad Christian Church. Archived from the original (http://www.brun
stad.org/en/About-us/YEP/#Hva_er_YEP) on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 9,
2010.
15. Aud, Schwital. "Sandefjord Senior Høyre inviterer til tur til Brunstad den 25. mai" (http://sand
efjord.hoyre.no/artikler/2010/5/sandefjord_senior_hoyre_inviterer_til_tur_til_brunstad_den_
25._mai) (in Norwegian). Høyre. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
16. Olderkjær, Ove (June 17, 2007). "Bygd på vennedugnad" (https://web.archive.org/web/2011
0610234741/http://www.bt.no/na24/article371044.ece). Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian).
Bergen, Norway. Archived from the original (http://www.bt.no/na24/article371044.ece) on
June 10, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
17. "Smiths venner skjulte eierforhold" (https://www.nrk.no/dokumentar/xl/smiths-venner_-skjulte
-eierforhold-og-hundrevis-av-innsamlede-millioner-i-skatteparadis-1.15242175) (in
Norwegian). 14 November 2020.
18. "NRK downplays the 20 million NOK influence operation" (https://innsikt.bcc.no/en/downpla
ys-influence-operation/) (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2020-11-18.

External links
Official website in English (https://bcc.no/en)
Missionary website (https://activechristianity.org)

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