Swedish Evangelical Bodies.—A great proportion of the Swedes who have come to the United States belonged in their native country to the state church of Sweden and upon settling in this country identified themselves with the Swedish Augustana synod in connection with the Lutheran general council. About the middle of the 19th century a great religious awakening swept over Sweden. The established church seemed unable to satisfy the spiritual needs of many communities and services were held by laymen. This caused such gatherings to be persecuted by the state church. Many of the people belonging to the new movement came to the United States, and two synods were formed—the Ansgarius and the Mission. Subsequently these were dissolved and in their place the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America was formed in 1855. A number of organizations did not unite with the Covenant, but formed an organization known as the Swedish Evangelical Free Mission, hence the church is represented by two bodies. The local congregations are self-governing. An annual conference is held to which the local congregations send delegates, where regulations are made, but such regulations are advisory only, and the congregations may accept or reject them as they see fit. There is also a society of ministers and missionaries which has for its mission the supervision of doctrine and conduct and the reception or rejection of candidates.

The Swedish Evangelical churches were established in Kansas by the Swedes who first settled in the state in the '80s, and have had a steady growth. Up to and including the report of 1890, the Swedish Lutherans were included in the general council of the Evangelical Lutheran church, so that no accurate estimate can be made of their strength in Kansas. In 1906 there were 12 organizations of the Mission Covenant in the state, with a total membership of 1,073, and 3 organizations of the Free Mission, with a membership of 41.