He decided to attend Augustana College and Seminary in Chicago in the fall of 1860 under the direction of Rev. Lars Paul Esbjorn. He was ordained at the Synodical Convention in Galesburg, Illinois, in June, 1861. He subsequently returned to work in Monongalia County (now Kandiyohi County, Minnesota). He later became director, principal, and head instructor of St. Ansgar's Academy at East Union, Minnesota, in 1863, managing the school until 1876 when it relocated to St. Peter, Minnesota. Additionally he served interim terms as president of the Minnesota Conference of the Lutheran Augustana Synod of America, the starting in 1862 and ending in 1880.
