Our up-coming book traces the untamed spirit of a man who wove faith and enterprise into a single thread — challenging both church and state, uplifting women as leaders, and planting seeds of grassroots business, social reform, and moral courage that still ripple through how we think about work, community, and conscience today.
Hans Nielsen Hauge (1771–1824) was a Norwegian lay preacher and entrepreneur who ignited a spiritual and economic revival. Born into a Lutheran farming family, he experienced a life-changing spiritual awakening at 25, launching a movement that emphasized personal faith and hard work. As a Christian entrepreneur, he founded mills, factories, and salt works, employing the marginalized and reinvesting profits to uplift communities. Despite multiple arrests for preaching without a license, his Haugean movement spread, influencing Norway’s faith, economy, and even its 1814 constitution. Hauge wrote 33 books, inspiring thousands, and left a legacy of diligence and innovation for Christian business leaders. He died at 52, but his impact endures.
A painting showing Nielsen-Hauge preaching
