| Evangelical Lutheran Church Of Finland |
Article Index for Evangelical Lutheran |
Shopping Lutheran |
Website Links For Evangelical Lutheran |
Information AboutEvangelical Lutheran Church Of Finland |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF FINLAND | |
| christianity in finland | |
| church of finland | |
|
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the Lutheran national church of Finland (The Finnish Orthodox Church is also recognized as a National Church ). With a membership rate of 83.1% ( 2005 ) it is the largest denomination in Finland, though it has lost 0.6-0.8% of its members annually as society has Secularized . The head of the church is the Archbishop Of Turku , currently Jukka Paarma . HISTORY The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is a successor to the Church Of Sweden of which it was a part until 1809 , when the Grand Duchy Of Finland became a part of the Russian Empire . In 1889 a law was past allowing other religions to act freely in the country. Since 1923 it has been possible to leave the state church without having to join another religious congregation. TEACHINGS The church is founded on the teachings of Martin Luther . It teaches that all who believe in Jesus will be saved. This is because every man sins and no one person can be good enough to God by his/her acts. As apostle Paul said, only the faith in Jesus Christ can save, for He carried all our sins and suffered the penalty we would have deserved. Thus we are saved by our faith in Him, our saviour. The church does not control its members strictly, and members can be found to believe in things contradicting the teachings of the church, such as rebirth or horoscopes. The spirit of the New Testament is considered to be more important than the strict rules of the Old Testament. Rituals, such as weddings and funerals, are often considered to be the most important reasons to remain a member. ORGANIZATION Finland is divided into nine Dioceses . Each diocese is headed by a Bishop and a cathedral chapter. Eight dioceses are regional, with the remaining one covering all of the country’s Swedish speaking parishes. The Church's supreme decision-making body is the Synod, which meets twice a year. Laymen make up a majority of the Synod, but a fixed number of seats have been set aside for clergies. The Synod proposes changes in the Ecclesiastical Act and decides on the Ecclesiastical Order. The Synod deals with questions of doctrine and approves the books of the church. The Synod directs the Church's common activities, administration and finances. Congregation elections are held every four years to fill administrative posts at the local level. Dioceses
FINANCES Because the church has the position as a National Church it is able to collect membership fees in the form of taxes. It means that also businesses, to some extent, are forced to contribute financially to the church. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|