Confessional Lutheranism in Iceland

JELK is a project in Iceland which seeks to reintroduce the Icelandic nation to conservative and confessional Lutheranism. Iceland has a rich reformation history, but during the 1900s the country has been thoroughly secularized. JELK faithfully confesses the Christian faith as expressed in the Lutheran confessions found in the Book of Concord.

Sakarias Ingolfsson, who is born and raised in Iceland, and has been living and working in Norway for the past two decades serves as the pastor for the Iceland project. Most of his work for the projcet is online. He also travels to Iceland approximately every six weeks to hold service and meet with contacts.

This webpage is our primary channel of communication. The page currently contains articles and videos about basic doctrinal topics, teaching materials, sermon videos and recordings from Bible studies. We have made available a part of the Lutheran confessions which was translated into Icelandic during the 1980s and are working on publishing a more recent translation of the Large catechism and Smalcald articles. We are currently working on an original translation of the Epitome.

In September of 2021 we met for Divine Service for the first time. Since then we have set up a service approximately every six weeks. The services are held in Friðrikskapella, a chapel belonging among others to a local soccer team.

Between services we meet online for Bible studies and discussions.

Our desire is to make contact with younger Icelandic men who are willing to enter our pastoral training program in Oslo, which also includes a year of exchange studies at one of the Concordia seminaries in St. Louis, Ft. Wayne, St. Catherine‘s or Edmonton.

The Iceland project is formally a part of the Lutheran Church in Norway (www.lkn.no), a free church which is in Church fellowship with LCMS and AALC. The project receives support from individuals, congregations, the Lutheran Hour Ministries and LCMS office of international missions.

Please make your tax-deductible donation check payable to
St. Timothy Lutheran Church
Designate for Iceland Church plant in the memo.
Please mail the check to:

St. Timothy Lutheran Church
% Iceland Church Plant
900 Lawndale Lane
Charleston, WV 25314.

Please keep Iceland and our work there in your prayers. This is slow work, and it can only be done in faith. There are still plenty of people who like the cultural side of the Church, as well as the stories that can be interpreted purely ethically, like the parable about the good Samaritan. However, the people are hardened towards both the law and the gospel. Only the Holy Spirit can open those hearts to receiving Christ in his word.