David Nyvall
Encyclopedia
David Nyvall was a Swedish immigrant to the United States and church leader who helped shape the Evangelical Covenant Church
and establish North Park University
in Chicago
.
, the son of a colporteur and leader of the Covenant Movement in Sweden. He immigrated to America in 1886 at age 23; he settled in Illinois
and became involved in the nascent denomination in the States. Though his educational background was pre-med, he accepted an offer from E. August Skogsbergh (1850-1939) offer to teach at his school in Minneapolis, Minnesota
. In 1878 he married Skogsbergh's sister Louise and served a year as pastor to a church in Sioux City, Iowa
.
, which at the time provided the theological education of many Covenant pastor
s. Nyvall felt strongly that the Covenant should have its own school. Acting on this conviction, he resigned from the Chicago Theological Seminary and returned to Skogsbergh's Minneapolis school, which the Covenant had recently accepted as the denomination's school. Three years later this school was moved to Chicago
and North Park College was established, a decision that upset some, including Nyvall's brother-in-law
, Skogsbergh.
of North Park and professor
of New Testament
in the Seminary. Under his leadership and guidance, the school survived struggles and grew in both enrollment and endowment. Largely as a result of criticism and disagreement about the infamous Gold money, Nyvall resigned as president and professor in 1904 and left the school the following year.
. In 1907 he returned to Sweden and the following year he took up residence in Minneapolis where he edited the early Covenant periodical Veckoblad. He also established the department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington
and served as professor from 1910 until 1912.
building, Nyvall hall, bears his name. His understanding of Christian education, specifically Covenant Education, is still normative and formative at North Park University. The David Nyvall lecture series was inaugurated in 1951 in memory of the pioneer Swedish American educator who served the school both as teacher and president.
Evangelical Covenant Church
The Evangelical Covenant Church is an evangelical Christian denomination of more than 800 congregations and an average worship attendance of 179,000 people in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants, the church is now one of the most...
and establish North Park University
North Park University
North Park University is a four-year university located at 3225 W. Foster Avenue on the north side of Chicago, Illinois in the North Park neighborhood. It was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church and shares its campus with the denomination's only seminary...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Background
Nyvall was born in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, the son of a colporteur and leader of the Covenant Movement in Sweden. He immigrated to America in 1886 at age 23; he settled in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and became involved in the nascent denomination in the States. Though his educational background was pre-med, he accepted an offer from E. August Skogsbergh (1850-1939) offer to teach at his school in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
. In 1878 he married Skogsbergh's sister Louise and served a year as pastor to a church in Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
.
Career
The next year he began teaching in the Swedish department of the Chicago Theological SeminaryChicago Theological Seminary
The Chicago Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ. It prepares women and men for leadership in the church and society through Master of Divinity , Master of Arts in Religious Studies , Master of Sacred Theology , Doctor of Ministry , and Doctor of Philosophy programs...
, which at the time provided the theological education of many Covenant pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
s. Nyvall felt strongly that the Covenant should have its own school. Acting on this conviction, he resigned from the Chicago Theological Seminary and returned to Skogsbergh's Minneapolis school, which the Covenant had recently accepted as the denomination's school. Three years later this school was moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and North Park College was established, a decision that upset some, including Nyvall's brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
, Skogsbergh.
North Park
Nyvall served as presidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of North Park and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in the Seminary. Under his leadership and guidance, the school survived struggles and grew in both enrollment and endowment. Largely as a result of criticism and disagreement about the infamous Gold money, Nyvall resigned as president and professor in 1904 and left the school the following year.
1905–1912
In his absence, he served as the first president of Walden College in McPherson, KansasMcPherson, Kansas
McPherson is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States, in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 13,155. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general...
. In 1907 he returned to Sweden and the following year he took up residence in Minneapolis where he edited the early Covenant periodical Veckoblad. He also established the department of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and served as professor from 1910 until 1912.
Return to North Park
In January 1912, Nyvall accepted to Covenant's call to resume his position at North Park, and returned as president of the school, a position he held until 1923. After 1923, Nyvall continued to serve North Park and the Covenant by acting as dean of the Seminary and teacher until 1941.Legacy
The main seminaryNorth Park Theological Seminary
North Park Theological Seminary is a seminary located in the North Park neighborhood of the city of Chicago, Illinois. It is the sole graduate theological school of the Evangelical Covenant Church...
building, Nyvall hall, bears his name. His understanding of Christian education, specifically Covenant Education, is still normative and formative at North Park University. The David Nyvall lecture series was inaugurated in 1951 in memory of the pioneer Swedish American educator who served the school both as teacher and president.
Other sources
- Carlson, Leland A History of North Park College (North Park College and Theological.Seminary 1941)
- Erickson, Scott E. David Nyvall & the Shape of an Immigrant Church (Almqvist & Wiksell. 1996) ISBN 91-554-3718-4