The Mission Chief Lars Dahle
This text is based on the lecture "The Man Lars Dahle," which was delivered by Kristin Fjelde Tjelle, head of the Mission and Diakonia archives, in connection with the opening of Dahle's library on June 6, 2024. The text is translated into English by GPT UiO (University of Oslo).
The Mission Leader
Lars Dahle is primarily known as a prominent mission leader. For a total of 31 years, from 1889 to 1920, he served as the General Secretary of the Norwegian Missionary Society (NMS), retiring at the age of 77.
Dahle led NMS during a continuous period of growth—there was an increase in the number of associations, supporters, and income at home, along with significant growth in mission work in South Africa, Madagascar, and China. It was during his tenure that women gained the right to vote in general assemblies in 1904. However, it was also during this time that early attempts at Malagasy self-governance within the church were suppressed.
Dahle represented NMS in many contexts: as an active, intelligent, and assertive participant in societal debates, in close collaboration with the Church of Norway and the Christian organizational life in Norway, as well as a productive author and lecturer.
Dahle was multilingual and well-traveled, possessing a wide international network. He was among the select mission leaders invited to speak at the legendary Edinburgh Conference in 1910.
The Mission School Teacher
During the thirty years that Dahle served as General Secretary of the NMS, he was also an instructor at the Mission School. He taught Hebrew, the Old Testament, as well as dogmatics, ethics, and mission studies.
As a teacher, Dahle influenced several generations of missionaries. He had a strong impact on who was actually admitted to the school, and his opinions were likely decisive when determining which students could be recommended for ordination and missionary service.
The Boy Lars Dahle
Lars Dahle was from Romsdal in the western parts of Norway. He was born in 1843 on the farm Dale in Dalsbygda, Isfjorden. His father, Nils Knudsen, originally came from the Torsteinsrud farm in Ål, Hallingdal, but bought a portion of a farm in Dalsbygda in 1826. At the age of 53, Nils married Anne Larsdatter from the Kyllingen farm in Øverdalen; she was 30 years old. Her parents were also immigrants, from Luster in Sogn. Lars’ maternal grandfather, Ole Kyllingen, was a well-known preacher and one of Hans Nielsen Hauge's close associates.
After three years of marriage, Nils and Anne had their son Lars. Two years later, Bertha was born. No more children followed.
It was said that Lars inherited his father's large and strong physique as well as his mother's intellect. For his fifth birthday, he received a catechism from his mother, and by then he could already read.
As a confirmation candidate, he stood at the front of the church. Early on, his parents recognized that this boy should receive further schooling beyond elementary school and confirmation. Lars was an avid reader and had a passionate relationship with books. However, he was also known for being a handful. In his autobiography, he describes a childhood where he early on challenged the forces of nature in Romsdalen—wading through river currents, taking long hikes into the mountains, and climbing in the mountains and glacier areas.
As an old man, he likely reflected on his reckless adventures, realizing that he had risked his life more than once. However, he also believed that the physical challenges and struggles with nature during his childhood and youth prepared him for the significant physical and mental challenges he would face later in life.
Lars's mother passed away when he was 13 years old, and his father died when he was 17. By then, his father had accepted that his son was not interested in taking over the farm. The farm was sold, and Lars was free to pursue "bookish endeavors."
Like many other academically gifted farmer's sons in the 19th century, he sought admission to a teacher seminar. He traveled to the seminar in Klæbu, Trøndelag, but did not complete the exams.
In 1863, he returned to his home village, where he stayed with friends connected to the Hauge-movement and continued his studies independently. The original plan was likely to attend the so-called Heltberg student factory in Oslo to take the examen artium and pursue further university studies. However, Lars felt a missionary calling. His plans changed, and at the age of 21, he became a mission student at the Mission School in Stavanger. He walked to Stavanger and moved into a brand new school that was completed in 1864.
His time at the Mission School was frustrating for Lars. According to his own words, the school offered more for the heart than for the mind. He had already read most of the curriculum and wanted to pursue more in-depth theological studies. The main board of NMS decided that Lars would receive a leave of absence from the school for the last two years. They also granted him a stipend so that he could travel to Oslo and attend lectures in theology, Arabic, Syriac, and medicine at the university.
Upon completing his studies in the summer of 1869, he received a stipend from NMS for a five-month study trip to Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, where he visited mission societies, mission schools, and institutions for training deaconesses and deacons.
The Self-Made Man
Lars was the mission society's wonder boy—the self-taught boy from humble farmer roots, but of genuine Hauge-movement lineage, who confidently and seamlessly mingled with professors, clergy, and mission leaders, both nationally and internationally.
The prevailing 19th-century ideal of the bourgeois man was "the Self-Made Man." This was a man who, through his own resources, intellect, skills, and available means, achieved great success and became someone significant. This stood in contrast to the aristocrats, who were born into wealth and a privileged existence without having truly earned their positions.
At this point, the main board of NMS was embroiled in an ongoing dispute with pioneering missionary Hans Paludan Smith Schrøder in South Africa. Schrøder had also been consecrated as a missionary bishop in 1866.
The conflict revolved simply around who should lead and hold ultimate authority over the mission fields. Schrøder desired an episcopal structure, with the missionary bishop serving as the overseer. The main board disagreed but had no alternative solution.
Twenty-nine-year-old Lars, recently arrived in the mission field, came to their aid. He developed a detailed proposal for a new administrative arrangement—where a college of missionaries would choose their supervisor, who would then report to the democratically elected main board in Stavanger. Dahle's proposal was adopted by the general assembly in 1873, and Schrøder immediately resigned.
The story of Schrøder versus Dahle is one of the foundational narratives in the history of NMS.
The Missionary
Lars Dahle was a missionary in Madagascar from 1870 to 1887, for a total of 17 years. He lived in the capital, Antananarivo, throughout this period. His first assignment was to establish a ministerial school. He was further involved in international and interdenominational cooperation for the translation of the Bible into Malagasy—a project that spanned many years. During his tenure, he served as the supervisor for the work in Madagascar for two five-year periods, which involved extensive inspections and travel.
Dahle also operated as a scientist, publishing his findings in articles and books. He gained the most recognition as a linguist, but he also conducted scientific and ethnographic studies related to Madagascar.
Despite his ironclad health and strong physique, Lars Dahle contracted malaria. The malaria attacks incapacitated him for long periods and were the direct reason he requested to return home after 17 years of service in Madagascar. Ultimately, he died from a malaria attack at the age of 82.
The Family Man
It is striking that women are scarcely mentioned in Lars Dahle's autobiography, with the exception of his mother. In contrast, his accounts of male acquaintances are extensive and detailed. This is not unique to Dahle; for the men of modernity, the public sphere was largely a male domain, while women belonged to the home and the private sphere.
In reality, Lars Dahle was surrounded by women. His life choices were significantly influenced by his mother. He also maintained a close relationship with his only sister, Bertha. When Lars traveled to Madagascar in 1870, she accompanied him as his housekeeper.
The Dahle siblings had a strong bond; however, he had not disclosed to her that he was secretly engaged to a girl from Stavanger. This revelation reportedly came as a significant shock to Bertha. Nonetheless, she turned around, fully engaged in schoolwork, married missionary priest Lars Stueland, and together they enjoyed a 26-year missionary career in Madagascar.
In 1871, Gabriella Gustava Svendsen arrived by the missionary ship Elieser, accompanied by several other so-called missionary sisters. The wedding took place a couple of days after their arrival. Gabriella Gustava was the daughter of Svend E. Svendsen, who belonged to the Herrnhuter community in the city of Stavanger. He was a wealthy and successful businessman, as well as a prominent missionary who helped establish both the Stavanger Mission Society in 1826 and the Norwegian Missionary Society in 1842.
Lars and Gabriella had a total of 10 children—8 daughters and 2 sons. Two of their daughters became missionaries in Madagascar.
Sources describe Dahle as a courteous and loving husband, as well as a gentle, caring, and nurturing father and grandfather.
The heritage
Like other heroes, Lars Dahle stands on a pedestal, though in a less prominent position than before. His statue has been moved multiple times over the years. In connection with the latest campus construction at VID Stavanger, it has been relocated to a spot in the garden.
In Stavanger, a street has also been named after him, and Lars Dahle's house still stands just around the corner. His book collection has now found a dignified place on the VID campus. Upon his death, Dahle bequeathed his collection of over 5,000 books to the Mission School. These books are now housed in Dahle's Library, a dedicated space on campus that takes visitors back a hundred years—to the heyday of Chief Lars Dahle.