This is the story of early organized Lutheranism of Norwegian background in America. It is an intriguing account of God's very capable pioneer servants facing their assignment, invading areas for which they were partially but not fully prepared, learning on the job, and boldly encountering the challenges that were uniquely theirs. They planted the church, sought out the people for whom they were responsible, founded congregations, built institutions, cared for the needy, instructed their people, sponsored mission work, kept their people informed, and engaged their adversaries in controversy. Amazingly, these servant leaders did many things right. Humanly, several mistakes were made. The end result was that, with the grace of God, their work was highly effective.