What a Fellowship - by Gracia Grindal (Paperback)

About the Book

Grindal weaves personal memoir and the history of Norwegian Lutheranism in the United States into a lively and insightful account of the Lutheran Free Church and its seminary. Readers will come away from What a Fellowship with a stronger understanding not only of American Lutheran history, but of ongoing conversations in the contemporary church.

Book Synopsis

Poet, historian, and hymn writer Gracia Grindal weaves personal memoir and the history of Norwegian Lutheranism in the United States into a lively and insightful account of the Lutheran Free Church and its seminary. Grindal's family immigrated from Norway to the Minnesota prairie in the late 1800s and quickly became involved in ongoing discussions--and often, arguments--about the future of Lutheran worship and ecclesial practice in this new country. Would the Lutheran faithful organize themselves as the state church had practiced, or would local communities of faith retain practices aligned with pietist movements? Who would speak for the church in America?

Augsburg Seminary--now Augsburg University--was founded amid these strident debates about congregations and schools, higher loyalties, and God's intentions for Norwegians of faith in North America. Grindal traces the interwoven threads of her family's experiences and the history of Augsburg, demonstrating how individuals and communities experienced what might seem at first glance like institutional questions. Readers will come away from What a Fellowship with a stronger understanding not only of American Lutheran history, but of ongoing conversations in the contemporary church.

Review Quotes

In this remarkable book, Gracia Grindal weaves the story of her Norwegian immigrant family with the history of the Norwegian Lutherans who founded and led Augsburg Theological Seminary and the Lutheran Free Church for almost one hundred years. This is a love story, illustrating Grindal's deep appreciation for the life of local congregations, while at the same time naming the many cultural and theological forces that often warred against the intimate "life together" those congregations reflected. In the end, though Grindal admits her sense of betrayal of the tradition she cherishes, she nonetheless offers all of us a compelling narrative of how modern and postmodern forces have shaped our lives of faith in the world. --Paul C. Pribbenow, president, Augsburg University

Behold a voice! Gracia Grindal recites how the Lutheran Free Church and Augsburg "lived in my very being." Her beautifully written narrative is "mixed, grateful, yet wistful," filled with leaders and losses amid institutional change, and testifies to God's saving presence in vibrant, diverse Christian communities. --David L. Tiede, professor of New Testament and president emeritus, Luther Seminary, and author of Prophecy and History in Luke-Acts and Luke (Augsburg Commentary)

This is the book Gracia Grindal was born to write: a love story concerning the specific Lutheran group that gave her life and shaped her. We are fascinated reading about the characters within the Lutheran Free Church whom she brings so fully to life as Christians struggling to live out their callings. Beyond all the institutions, any such group is, at its core, the people who love it and fight over it, and who seek to pass its traditions on to future generations. --Mark Granquist, Lloyd and Annelotte Svendsbye Professor of the History of Christianity, Luther Seminary

In the genre of American Lutheran denominational histories, Gracia Grindal's What a Fellowship accomplishes something refreshingly unique. Not only does she tell the story of the Lutheran Free Church and Augsburg College and Seminary with skill and detail, but she does so as a part of her own family's history in this part of the American Lutheran experience. Filled with personal reminiscences, this book takes us back to an earlier time in American life amid changes and challenges from which everyone, both inside and outside of the Lutheran community, can learn. --Thomas E. Jacobson, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Thornville, Ohio, and assistant professor of history at the Institute of Lutheran Theology, Brookings, South Dakota

Gracia Grindal tells the story of the church she knew as home and continues to love. This detailed history sings like one of her hymns and creates images like her poetry. Some of these stories are held in her heart by lived memory. Many are drawn from interviews and church archives. Others bring back the voices of pastors and professors whom many today still hold dear. What a Fellowship helps the reader better understand the theology, ecclesiology, and culture of the congregations, communities, and educational institutions of the Lutheran church today. It is a story of faith in God's mercy and abiding presence in the church that can be, at the same time, both heartbreaking and home. --Dee Pederson, bishop, Southwestern Minnesota Synod, ELCA

Gracia Grindal has written a lively and warm-hearted account of "ties that bind"--the story of the Lutheran Free Church. Her deep love for its people--saints and sinners galore--and the faith that sustained and nourished it are evident on every page. --Mark D. Tranvik, professor of Reformation history and theology, Luther Seminary