He was the son of Peter Vilhelm Schjelderup and Dorothea Marie Lysholm.

[3] Schjelderup took his examen artium to finish his secondary education in 1870, and graduated with a cand.theol.

During this time, he also held the role of dean of the Østre Nedenes deanery from 1896 until 1903.

He was then appointed to be the bishop of the Diocese of Kristiansand, a position he held until his death on 23 October 1913.

[4][3] He is buried in the family burial plot in the Vestre Gravlund cemetery in Oslo.