[1] Ernst Oddvar Baasland was born 3 April 1945 in the city of Kristiansand in Vest-Agder county, Norway.

He returned to Oslo and graduated from the MF Norwegian School of Theology with a cand.theol.

He stayed in this position until becoming ordained as a priest and consecrated a bishop in the diocese of Stavanger in 1998.

It was unusual in the Church of Norway for someone to be ordained as a priest just a few days prior to becoming a bishop, but his extensive background in theology as a professor assured many that he was ready to be a priest.

[citation needed] He held the post until 15 June 2009 when he resigned amid a family scandal involving his son, Bjarte Baasland.