Arild Tombre—A Church Builder

Arild Tombre—A Church Builder

On Friday, April 3, 2026, we said farewell to our dear friend, brother, father, and servant of the Lord, Arild Tombre. Around 5,000 friends gathered for the memorial service at Brunstad, and many others followed the day via livestream. Since this took place on the first day of the Easter conference, many friends from several countries were able to attend. God worked through this day in a special way, and for many it became a call to seek Him in godly fear, with both seriousness and joy in their hearts.

Arild Tombre was born in Oslo on May 8, 1932, and already at the age of nine, in the midst of the grim realities of war, he made a personal decision to follow Jesus. This choice became the red thread running through his entire life. From his early youth he was involved in the church’s missionary work, and starting in 1953 he traveled with the brothers to many places—trips that laid the foundation for the church’s expansion in Europe. His proficiency in English, German, French, and Dutch opened many doors and made him a valuable asset in this work.

He settled in France in 1963, where he worked for over 50 years to build up the body of Christ. To the very end he fought the good fight of faith. He leaves behind a life that, to all who knew him, was a living example of following in Jesus’ footsteps. We were given a moving glimpse into his life when his son Einar read a summary of his life story at the start of the funeral service. Together with his beloved Mirjam—his faithful and outstanding companion for more than fifty years—they had twelve children. Through a life of love, faithfulness, and fear of God, the two of them built a large and blessed family together.

Kåre J. Smith reminded us that Arild Tombre’s father’s heart had room for far more than just his immediate family. Through a long life of service he was a blessing to a great many spiritual children—people who received the grace to know him and who carry on his legacy in their own lives. A passage from 2 John 1-2 was read, words that were particularly fitting for him: “The Elder, to the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever.” Kåre J. Smith impressed upon us that it is the Spirit of truth who sets us free and leads us on the way of salvation. Our growth and progress in salvation are inextricably linked to how we love the truth. Arild Tombre had received a great measure of the fullness of Christ, and it will be a blessing to meet him again in eternity—he who loved the truth and lived it out to the very end.

Just as Peter, who loved Jesus above all else and had an open heart to the voice of truth, Arild became a living stone in the spiritual house that Christ is building. Matt. 16:18. For the church of Christ is the pillar and ground of the truth. 1 Tim. 3:15. Everything done within it must be in accord with the Spirit of truth, without anything obscuring the clear light of truth. We understand quite well that it takes great grace from God to live the truth. Paul testified about himself that the grace toward him had not been in vain. 1 Cor. 15:9-10. We saw the same in Arild Tombre: a life in which God’s grace had accomplished great things through a humble servant. It is a great thing to come to God in humility, but it is even greater to preserve that humility to the very end, and his life was a living testimony to precisely this.

Marc Auchet, who for many years had been a close co-worker of Arild Tombre in France, testified to a life that had brought blessing—a life lived in the footsteps of Jesus and Paul, far removed from the things of this world. His words from Phil. 3:17 were an exhortation to all of us: “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.” May we all follow what we have seen in Arild Tombre, and press forward on the same way with the help of the Spirit.

It was moving to see the large crowd in the Festival Square bidding a final farewell with song 24 in WotL: “There’s rejoicing in the heavens when the saints their course have run. Rest from toil and temptation, to their rightful home they’ve come. It is surely so much better than all joy and gladness here. Think to always dwell together with their Lord and Savior dear.” Arild Tombre has now completed his race and reached the courts of heaven. And there were probably many who, in their hearts, agreed with the final words of the summary that his son Einar read aloud: “Dear Dad, thank you for showing us the way through your life—the way in Jesus’ footsteps! Your memory will live on in our hearts. We will meet again!”

Memorial Service

The memorial service began with a film titled “A Church Builder,” which gave a glimpse into Arild Tombre’s life. Among other things, we saw an interview from a few years earlier in which Arild spoke about the development of the church and the need the brothers already had, right from the beginning, to share the doctrines that accord with godliness. He quoted what Aksel Smith had testified on his deathbed: “Receive the teachings that pertain to godliness; they hold true.” Arild expressed his deep thankfulness for having come into contact with God-fearing people right from his childhood. During the memorial service we got a glimpse of the significance this had for his life.

Kåre J. Smith emphasized that Arild Tombre was a God-fearing man who sought fellowship with God-fearing people, and that it was precisely this that enabled him to be a church builder. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” Rom. 6:17. There are many doctrines, but there is only one doctrine that sets us free from sin. For those who love God with a whole heart and live in godly fear in the deepest sense, the doctrine becomes life in them. It is such people who are enabled to be servants of God. This is clearly evident in the apostle Paul, who did not dare to speak of anything other than what Christ had accomplished through him. Ch. 15:18-19. That is how we have known Arild Tombre throughout his entire life.

Kåre highlighted the full hope of the gospel: reconciliation is a gift of grace, but once we have received it, God’s work in us begins as we walk on the new and living way that Jesus has opened up for us. Eph. 2:8-10. For most people, the gospel is merely the forgiveness of sins, but the hope the gospel gives is something far greater than reconciliation. It is that the life of Jesus may become our life, that we may be presented holy and blameless in His sight. Col. 1:28. Arild Tombre was living proof of this; he lived what he preached and was therefore able to imprint the message upon others in a powerful way.

Bernt Aksel Larsen expressed his deep respect for Arild Tombre and read from Rev. 2:2-5, where Jesus speaks of the first love and the first works. It is with Jesus Himself that we need to cultivate fellowship. We must never lose what God speaks in our hearts. That was how he experienced Arild Tombre, and he testified to how, from his youth onward, he had sensed a care that was personal and genuine, and which has left a lasting mark.

Through the testimonies of many friends, we got a picture of a man who had chosen to serve God from childhood and who stayed on the right track his entire life. He stood firm in the midst of the storms, remained true to his heavenly calling, and could say with Paul: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24.

He was natural and simple in his conduct, quick to humble himself, and made it a habit to judge himself rather than others. He was a true father in Christ who nurtured and raised up God-fearing people wherever he went. “Exercise yourself toward godliness” is the exhortation from 1 Tim. 4:7. That was exactly what we saw in him: a life in which the fear of God was not merely an ideal, but a daily walk in the footsteps of Christ.

The family testified to a natural and simple home life, with plenty of freedom for people to be themselves. They experienced a father who had a great sense of humor, loved music and singing, and this left its mark on the home he and Mirjam built together. The children testified that they had been privileged to know a man of God who, in humility and fear of God, fought the good fight of faith right to the very end. His conduct, his zest for life, and his sense of humor showed them that being spiritual meant being natural.

Friends from various countries and continents testified to the love they had experienced through Arild’s ministry. He had a big heart that had room for many—not least in Africa and India, where he worked for many years. Many expressed their thankfulness for his ability to imprint God’s word in a way that made it stick and easy to remember. He was a tall man, but had lowly thoughts about himself.

We have been blessed to get to know such a God-fearing man. May that same power work within us. Let us carry with us the words with which Arild Tombre himself concluded his interview: “I want to live the rest of my life in the fear of God, so that those who come after me may also say: ‘I came into contact with God-fearing people.’”

Kåre J. Smith concluded the memorial service by recalling Jesus’ words: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matt. 16:25. We have seen this in the life of Arild Tombre, and the entire day was a powerful testimony to this. May God richly bless and strengthen the family and all his descendants.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to friends and churches in many countries for all their support, kind words, and for the overwhelming goodness, care, and love we have experienced in connection with our dear father’s passing and his funeral.

With thankfulness, the Tombre family.