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LKNI

New Bishop Elect for Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland

by | Mar 20, 2026

LKNI Bishop Elect Markus Snellman.

NORWAY – The Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland (Den Lutherske Kirke i Norge og Island / Lúterska kirkjan í Noregi og á Íslandi – LKNI) has elected Rev. Markus Snellman to serve as the church’s new bishop. The election came during the LKNI’s church council on March 14.

Bishop Elect Snellman’s consecration  will take place on October 24 in Oslo. He succeeds Bishop Torkild Masvie, who will reach the LKNI’s age limit for service as bishop in October. In the intervening months, Bishop Elect Snellman will gradually be instructed in and take on many of the bishop’s responsibilities.

Bishop Elect Snellman holds masters degrees in theology from Fjellhaug International University College (Oslo) and from Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana). A Swedish-speaking Finn, Rev. Snellman is currently serving as a parish pastor in Narvik and Svolvær. Bishop Elect Snellman will work with the new pastor appointed to Narvik before transitioning to the Oslo region with his family later in the year.

Additional information on Bishop Elect Snellman is available from the LKNI here.

The Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland is a member church of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, grounded in the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

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Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland identifies candidates for next bishop

by | Jan 28, 2026

Rev. Sakarias Ingolfsson and Rev. Markus Snellman.

NORWAY – The Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland (Den Lutherske Kirke i Norge og Island / Lúterska kirkjan í Noregi og á Íslandi – LKNI) has identified two pastors as possible candidates for the church’s new bishop: Rev. Sakarias Ingolfsson and Rev. Markus Snellman. An election will take place during the LKNI’s church council on March 14, and the consecration of the new bishop will take place in October.

Rev. Sakarias Ingolfsson, an Icelander by birth, serves as parish pastor in Messiah Church (Oslo) as well as in Rejkjavik, Iceland. He also leads the LKNI’s pastoral study program AdFontes. Rev. Ingolfsson holds a master’s degree from Fjellhaug International University College (Oslo) as well as an S.T.M degree from Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana).

Rev. Markus Snellman, a Swedish-speaking Finn, is parish pastor in Narvik and Svolvær. He is also leading a church building project in Narvik. He holds master’s degrees from both Fjellhaug International University College (Oslo) as well as from Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana).

Bishop Torkild Masvie speaks at the ILC’s 2018 World Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.

The new bishop will succeed Bishop Torkild Masvie who turns 70 years old this October, at which time he will reach the age limit for service as bishop under the LKNI’s bylaws. The episcopal consecration of the new bishop will therefore take place on October 24 in Oslo.

Bishop Masvie was consecrated as bishop of the LKNI in 2017, after having previously served the young church as provisional bishop for many years. Bishop Masvie led the LKNI into membership in the International Lutheran Council (ILC) in 2015.

The International Lutheran Council is a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, grounded in the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

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Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland doubles number of serving pastors

by | Aug 29, 2023

The ordination of pastoral candidates in the Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland. Photo: BoJo Hermansen

NORWAY – On August 13, the Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland (LKNI) celebrated the ordination of four new pastors during a service at the Church of the Messiah in Oslo, with LKNI Bishop Torkild Masvie officiating.

The LKNI’s newly ordained pastors (the four on the left) pose with Bishop Torkild Masvie and other pastors. Photo: BoJo Hermansen.

These ordinations bring the total complement of active clergy in the LKNI to eight, including the church’s bishop. (The LKNI also has three retired pastors). The addition of the new pastors will allow several start-up congregations in the LKNI to have a dedicated pastor, allowing them to go from monthly to weekly services. The LKNI currently serves nine established and start-up congregations.

The ordinations come as the culmination of five to six years of education for each ordinand through the LKNI’s AdFontes pastoral training program. As part of that program, students also pursued a B.A. through Fjellhaug International College in Oslo and a M.A. through Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Lutheran Church in Norway and Iceland is a member church of the International Lutheran Council, a global association of confessional Lutheran churches.

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