[1] The Strong Believers started in Rogaland, Norway, in the mid-1800s and were led by lay preacher Knud Spødervold (1791–1848),[1] the son of a farmer from Bjerkreim.
In 1848 he published a book called Guds nådes husholdning ('The Dispensation of God's Grace'), in which he outlined his views and his interpretation of the Bible.
Spødervold criticized Pietist revival preacher Hans Nielsen Hauge for being too concerned with the importance of works.
Strong Believers adhere to older church customs and hymns, such as Danish hymnwriter Thomas Kingo's 1699 hymnal.
[6] The movement initially consisted of four branches, one of which – Det gammel Lutherske-Samfund ('The Old Lutheran Community') – later returned to the state church in 1958 after splitting off in 1925.