A “sentinel” is one who stands guard. For 90 years, the Lutheran Sentinel has been published as a protector of the gospel. Each year, more than 6,000 copies of each of the 11 issues of the Lutheran Sentinel, such as the one you are reading, reach out with articles of doctrinal content, reports of synod interest and synodical news. For many people, this is both the face and the voice of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. But the Lutheran Sentinel didn’t always look as it does today.

The first difference is the language. The first official publication of the synod was printed in the Norwegian language and was known as theEvangelisk Luthersk Tidende (Evangelical Lutheran Times). The publication of this church paper was one of the chief activities of the synod during those early years. Following the devastating “Merger” of 1917, the small group of pastors and congregations who reorganized the synod were scattered and needed a means of supporting one another. One year prior to the synod’s reorganization, the first issue of the Evangelisk Luthersk Tidende was published on July 19, 1917. Months later, the decisive announcement was printed on April 1, 1918, saying, “Pastors and members of congregations who desire to continue in the old doctrine and practice of the Norwegian Synod will, God willing, hold their annual meeting in the Lime creek congregation, Pastor H. Ingebritson’s charge, June 14 and following days.”

It quickly was realized that an English language publication was needed. It was determined that the paper was to be issued alternately in the English and Norwegian languages. Eventually these became two separate publications. The English counterpart was known as the Lutheran Sentinel, with the first issue being published July 19, 1919. The two publications were independent of each other in that they had separate editors and different articles.

The second difference to be noted during these 90 years is the frequency of publication, which was weekly until 1953, when publication of the Tidende came to a halt. At that time, the Lutheran Sentinel continued to be published on a bi-weekly basis. This continued for 29 years until the Sentinel became a monthly publication in 1982, with a special issue each August devoting particular attention to reporting on the previous Synod Convention.

During the 1950s, the back page of each issue carried an article entitled “For Our Boys,” written especially for the synod’s men and women serving in the Armed Forces. In 1953, the pen of Erling Ylvisaker wrote: “We read that our American soldiers, arriving from prison in Korea, are calling the freedom gate at Panmunjom, ‘the little Golden Gate.’ … We find in this simple fact a beautiful figure of speech: So was your baptism, dear readers, ‘the Little Golden Gate’ through which you entered into the land of freedom and joy, into the ‘Freedom Village’ of the Christian Church…. We are no longer the prisoners of sin, death and the devil. When we walked through ‘the Little Golden Gate’ of baptism, we put on Christ—that is, we are now clothed in the white garment of his righteousness.”

The August 1943 issue of the Lutheran Sentinel consisted of one single article, 30 pages in length. During the time of tensions within the Synodical Conference, this special issue, entitled “In the Interest of Truth,” was published both to instruct the synod members about the serious doctrinal events transpiring in their midst and as a public appeal to action.

The third noticeable change that has taken place for the Lutheran Sentinel is the size of the publication. The first issue of the Luthersk Tidende was only 5 inches by 8 inches in size and had eight pages. Cover photographs began in 1950 and often pictured the synod’s churches. This format continued until the first issue of 1982. At that time, the size of the Sentinel doubled in size to an 8¹/₂-by-11-inch page. Also, artwork was increased and photographs of the authors began to accompany the articles.

Upon the 150^th anniversary of the organization of the former Norwegian Synod, a special issue of the Sentinel (June 2003) served as the synod’s official commemoration. ELS President Moldstad wrote: “We celebrate this anniversary to learn from the past, glorify God, and further His kingdom of grace. May the articles in this special edition of the Lutheran Sentinel move us to thank our Lord for providing His merciful truth to previous generations and to ask Him to guide us in the kingdom work we are now doing.”

Currently, reflecting the electronic-age, the Lutheran Sentinel also is available online through the synod’s web-site: www.evangelicallutheransynod.org.

Throughout these nine decades, many changes have taken place. Among other things, our nation has experienced a half dozen wars, entered the space age and witnessed countless advances in medical health. The Lutheran Sentinel also has seen many changes during these same years. Yet one thing remains constant, represented by the masthead that first appeared on the cover of the fifth issue of the Evangelisk Luthersk Tidende in 1917: “Der starr Skrevet.“ Those words continue today as the motto of the Lutheran Sentinel: “It is Written.” The words frequently were spoken by our Savior during His earthly ministry to demonstrate that the words of Scripture cannot be broken and also must find their fulfillment in Him. In a world where many things have changed, the words of Scripture yet remain unchanged. The words of this publication yet testify to that truth. The Lutheran Sentinel is much more than just another magazine. It is a sentinel of the faith.

A note of acknowledgment is here extended to those men who unselfishly have given of their time to serve as editors.

Luthersk Tidende:

Bjug Harstad (1917-18)

C.N.Petersen (1918-19)

Editorial committee: G.A.Gullixson, J.A.Moldstad, H.A.Preus (1919-23)

John Moldstad (1923-30)

J.E.Thoen (1930-38)

C.A.Moldstad (1938-46)

G.Lillegard (1946-53).

Lutheran Sentinel:

J.E. Thoen (1930-38)

A.M.Harstad (1938-46)

Ahlert Strand (1946-50)

Erling Ylvisaker (1950-54)

C.M. Gullerud (1954-56)

Paul Ylvisaker (1956-66)

Julian Anderson (1966-68)

Victor Theiste (1968-72)

Nelaak Tjernagel (1972-76)

Erling Teigen (1976-82)

Paul Madson (1983-95)

Theodore Gullixson (1996-ff)

Craig Ferkenstad is pastor of Norseland Lutheran Church in St. Peter, Minnesota, and Norwegian Grove Lutheran Church in Gaylord, Minnesota.