Albert Victor Olson
Encyclopedia
Albert Victor Olson was a Seventh-day Adventist
minister and administrator. He was born May 26, 1884 in Kingston, Minnesota
.
The Seventh-day Adventist teachings often found their way to new regions by means of printed material. About 1877, the Olson family became acquainted with Adventism by reading tracts that had been sent over to Sweden from Norway by J. G. Matteson. They were among the first Seventh-day Adventists in Sweden. Shortly after this, they moved to the United States and established a successful farm in western Minnesota. They were baptized in 1880 by Lewis Johnson. At the 1936 General Conference Session, Olson introduced Johnson to the gathering. Albert Olson and his five brothers and two sisters were raised in an Adventist home.
in 1902, and later worked as an educator. He was ordained as a minister at age 22 and served in Minnesota
from 1906 to 1912.
, Canada
(1912-1914). In 1913, tent efforts were conducted in Montreal. Olson ran the English campaign and J. Vuilleumier ran the French one.
In 1914 he was elected president of the Quebec Conference, and in 1916 president of the Ontario Conference. From 1917 to 1920 he was president of the Eastern Canadian Union;
, Switzerland
;
and held that office until his retirement in 1958.
During the late 1940s, Church leaders asked Olson to do a thorough study of the question of divorce and remarriage. He investigated biblical and Ellen White references and recommended a slight liberalization of church policy. He concluded that sincerely repentant persons who had remarried contrary to biblical principles should not be permanently denied church fellowship. As a result, the 1950 General Conference modified the Church Manual to reflect his conclusion.
During his time at the General Conference, Olson wrote a series of articles for the Review and Herald on each of the Ten Commandments (1951-1952). He travelled to various places, attending camp meetings and writing reports for the world church through the Review and Herald.
board of trustees.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
minister and administrator. He was born May 26, 1884 in Kingston, Minnesota
Kingston, Minnesota
Kingston is a city in Meeker County, Minnesota, along the North Fork of the Crow River. The population was 161 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
.
The Seventh-day Adventist teachings often found their way to new regions by means of printed material. About 1877, the Olson family became acquainted with Adventism by reading tracts that had been sent over to Sweden from Norway by J. G. Matteson. They were among the first Seventh-day Adventists in Sweden. Shortly after this, they moved to the United States and established a successful farm in western Minnesota. They were baptized in 1880 by Lewis Johnson. At the 1936 General Conference Session, Olson introduced Johnson to the gathering. Albert Olson and his five brothers and two sisters were raised in an Adventist home.
Early Ministry in Minnesota
He began his ministry as a colporteurColportage
Colportage is the distribution of publications, books, religious tracts, etc., by carriers called "colporteurs".The term is an alteration of French comporter, "to peddle" as a portmanteau or pun with the word col , with the resulting meaning "to carry on one's neck". Porter, is from Latin portare,...
in 1902, and later worked as an educator. He was ordained as a minister at age 22 and served in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
from 1906 to 1912.
Canadian Years 1912-1920
MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(1912-1914). In 1913, tent efforts were conducted in Montreal. Olson ran the English campaign and J. Vuilleumier ran the French one.
In 1914 he was elected president of the Quebec Conference, and in 1916 president of the Ontario Conference. From 1917 to 1920 he was president of the Eastern Canadian Union;
The Latin Union 1920-1929
from 1920 to 1929 president of the Latin Union, with headquarters in GlandGland, Switzerland
Gland is a municipality in the district of Nyon in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:Gland is known to have been a prehistoric settlement. During the Roman period a farm called Villa Glanis was there...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
;
Southern European Division 1929-1946
From 1929 to 1946, he served as president of the newly organized Southern European Division.General Conference 1946-1958
In 1946 he was elected a general vice-president of the General ConferenceGeneral Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, where it moved in 1989...
and held that office until his retirement in 1958.
During the late 1940s, Church leaders asked Olson to do a thorough study of the question of divorce and remarriage. He investigated biblical and Ellen White references and recommended a slight liberalization of church policy. He concluded that sincerely repentant persons who had remarried contrary to biblical principles should not be permanently denied church fellowship. As a result, the 1950 General Conference modified the Church Manual to reflect his conclusion.
During his time at the General Conference, Olson wrote a series of articles for the Review and Herald on each of the Ten Commandments (1951-1952). He travelled to various places, attending camp meetings and writing reports for the world church through the Review and Herald.
The White Estate
From 1952 to 1963 he served as chair of the Ellen G. White EstateEllen G. White Estate
The Ellen G. White Estate, Incorporated, or simply the White Estate, is the official organization created by Ellen G. White to act as the custodian of her writings, which are of importance to the Seventh-day Adventist Church...
board of trustees.
Historian
His book Through crisis to victory, 1888-1901 was a history from the 1888 Minneapolis meeting to the reorganization of the General Conference and was published after his death in 1966.See also
- History of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchHistory of the Seventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church had its roots in the Millerite movement of the 1830s and 1840s, during the period of the Second Great Awakening, and was officially founded in 1863. Prominent figures in the early church included Hiram Edson, James Springer White and his wife Ellen G. White, Joseph...
- Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...