The founder of our movement was the Norwegian Marine officer, Johan Oscar Smith. He was born in Fredrikstad in 1871, however he lived most of his life in the southern Norwegian seaport town Horten, where he died in 1943. Already at the age of 16 he went to sea, and for about 40 years, until his retirement, he discharged his duty in the Norwegian Marine-corps. He was married to Pauline Pedersen who bore him six children.  

In Norway, the country where it originated, outsiders have called our movement after the founder, "Smith's venner" (English: "Smith's Friends"), although we, ourselves, do not use this term. However, J.O. Smith was a modest, humble man, who in no way wanted his name to be attached to a movement, and had no desire to gather followers to himself. On the contrary, it was his intention to help the individual to come to a fulfilled life with God, and not to bind them to people, but rather to Christ, the Head of the Church.

At his conversion to God in 1898, he was strongly gripped of Jesus Christ, and placed special emphasis upon living a righteous and God-fearing life. When he experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit in 1900, the scriptures became more living for him. By reading the Bible, he recognized with extraordinary clarity that Jesus was "tempted as we are" here on earth, yet, he never sinned.

This understanding of the reality of Jesus' temptations became the key to a victorious life for Johan O. Smith. He spoke about this with a number of the religious leaders of those days, but his message was not accepted by them. Gradually, a small group of friends gathered, who met for the purpose of mutual edification. Smith, however, was not interested in founding a new assembly, rather, he prefered to work with each individual; first of all, with his own brother, the dentist, Aksel Smith. In 1908 he met Elias Aslaksen, a young Naval Academy cadet who later, until his death in the year 1976, was esteemed as a highly responsible elder of the church.

Gradually J.O. Smith came into contact with people who were gripped by his preaching about overcoming sin. He wrote some articles in religious pamphlets, however in 1912 he and his brother Aksel (1881-1919) began to publish their own monthly pamphlet titled "Skjulte Skatter" (Hidden Treasures). Eventually, small local house meetings developed.

The movement spread slowly but surely, but it was limited to Norway and Denmark until the Second World War. However, the soldiers of the German occupation army came into contact with the Norwegian friends during the war, and this led to the outset of an international expansion. The spark that resulted from these contacts made during the war flashed over to Germany, and soon, thereafter, to its neighbouring countries. In many places fellowships arose following the pattern of "Smith's Friends".

Since 1957, the conference-and-vacation-centre in Brunstad, near Tonsberg has been a central meeting place for our fellowship. At the last summer conference in 1998 there were registered about 8,000 friends from 30 countries and every continent.

"Smith's Friends" came to Austria for the first time in the early sixties. Following an invitation, the two Norwegians, first Elias Aslaksen, and then later Sigurd Bratlie, visited our country and preached the good news of the forgiveness of sins, and a victorious life in the virtues of Christ.

Nowadays, we Austrians visit the yearly conferences in Norway with great enthusiasm. Our children and youth especially look forward to the summer conference, and can hardly wait until school is over, because their own youth and children's conferences are held in Brunstad, and they include games, contests, and sport events. Following the conferences, families often take an extended holiday on the Oslo fjord, or go on an exciting boat trip, or an excursion to the North Cape.

At the main conferences in Norway, we meet friends with the same faith from nearly all continents, nations and cultural circles. But conferences are also held in other countries, as well, including Germany, Holland, Austria, England, France, Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Russia, White Russia, Ukraine, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, U.S.A., Canada, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uganda, Cameroon, Zaire, Kenya, and South Africa.