Norwegian Church
The Norwegian Church ( Bokmål Den norske kirke , Nynorsk Den norske kyrkja ) is the Evangelical Lutheran national church in Norway . After a lengthy reform process, it has been a legal entity independent of the Norwegian state since January 1, 2017 .
The church is a member of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Council of Churches . She is also in the Porvoo Community and the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and has agreed full church fellowship with the affiliated churches .
history
In 1537 Christian III. the Reformation in Norway . The Protestant doctrine of the faith achieved the status of a state religion , which only came to an end in 2012. In the course of the 18th century, the church was increasingly under the influence of pietism , which particularly emphasizes the connection between faith and action .
Article 2 of the Eidsvoll constitution (1814) confirmed the Evangelical Lutheran religion as a public profession of the Norwegian state. She placed the church under the control of Storting and the government. The Storting acted as the church parliament, the king as head of the church. Until 1969 the official name was "Norwegian State Church" ( statskirken / statskyrkja ).
In 1842, the ban was amateur - preaching canceled, resulting in a variety of flows promoted within the church.
The ordination of women has been practiced for the 1961st
Reform process
New liturgies 2011
On the 1st of Advent 2011 the order of worship was opened for new texts, actions and symbols. Actions such as lighting candles and music should be given more space; the repertoire should explicitly include rock music and Norwegian folk . The baptismal liturgy is more focused on joy and thanks. Intercessions should be allowed to relate more to local or global events. Church-goers can be more involved in the preparation and execution of the service than before. The opportunity for contemplation and silent prayer should be guaranteed.
Democracy reform 2011
Before the constitutional amendment in 2012, the Norwegian Church had to assure the Storting that it would strengthen democracy within the church; since 2012 she has been deciding on the allocation of offices herself. The nationwide church election was therefore brought forward by two years to September 11 and 12, 2011. In order to have a favorable influence on voter turnout, it took place at the same time as the Norwegian local elections. It was finally 13.4 percent.
New state church law 2012
In 2008 the Storting agreed on an overall package for reforming the Church of Norway. The relationship between church and state was placed on a new basis. The constitution was amended on May 21, 2012. The king is no longer head; he and his Evangelical Lutheran ministers no longer form the State Council of Churches (the kirkelige statsråd) . This also removes the quorum that at least half of the government members had to belong to the church. Since then, the bishops are no longer appointed by the State Council of Churches, but are determined in democratically legitimized elections. The storting only appears as the legislator of the church law (kirkeloven) ; it is no longer responsible for the internal affairs of the church.
The Norwegian Church, as by far the largest religious community in the country, maintains the status of a “people's church”. The constitution continues to guarantee the support of the state. The other religious communities should also receive this support. Bishops, provosts and pastors remained civil servants until the end of 2016; on January 1, 2017, they lost this status. The church continues to be funded through government grants, not membership fees. The framework financing in the 2017 budget year was 1.9 billion crowns, around 211 million euros.
New hymn book 2013
In 2013 a new hymn book was introduced. Norsk salmebok 2013 replaces the Norsk Salmebok from 1985 and its extension Salmer 1997 . The official hymn book now contains 899 songs, 240 of which were recorded for the first time.
Same-sex marriage 2016
In 2013, a majority of the bishops recommended introducing a blessing for same-sex couples . The church parliament (kirkemøtet) refused a church wedding in 2014. On April 11, 2016, a large majority finally voted to allow same-sex couples to marry. Pastors can refuse such a church wedding out of personal conviction.
The Synod in Trondheim on January 30, 2017 passed a liturgy that makes church weddings of homosexual couples possible, as in Denmark and Sweden.
structure
The Norwegian Church is divided into eleven dioceses ( bispedømme; until 1919: stift ).A twelfth episcopal office was created on October 2, 2011: The President of the Bishops' Conference does not have a diocese of his own, but only oversees the Dompropstei of the Nidaros Cathedral ( Trondheim ).
Dioceses
- Diocese of Nidaros with seat in Trondheim
- Diocese of Oslo with seat in Oslo
- Borg diocese based in Fredrikstad
- Diocese of Hamar with seat in Hamar
- Tunsberg diocese based in Tønsberg
- Diocese of Agder and Telemark based in Kristiansand
- Diocese of Stavanger based in Stavanger
- Bjørgvin diocese based in Bergen
- Diocese of Møre based in Molde
- Sør-Hålogaland diocese based in Bodø
- Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland based in Tromsø
Propsties, church districts, parishes
The lower levels of the church form the provost (norw. Prosti ) and parish ( Sokn ).
Members
On January 1, 2015, the Church of Norway comprised around 73% of the population. 3,799,366 members were counted; in 2015 around 5.8 million people attended 62,000 church services. 10% attended church services more than once a month .
Church elections
Participation in church elections since 1997:
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Endringer i finansiering av Den norske kirke som følge av skille mellom stat og kirke fra January 1, 2017 (changes in the financing of the Norwegian Church as a result of the separation between state and church from January 1, 2017)
- ↑ Fullføring of skillet mellom staten og Den norske kirke regjeringen.no, October 6, 2016.
- ↑ Kva er nytt i Norsk salmebok 2013? Church of Norway website, accessed January 3, 2017.
- ↑ Norway's bishops make friends with marriage opening on queer.de, October 18, 2013.
- ↑ Gay marriage in Norway meets with approval Frankfurter Rundschau, April 12, 2016.
- ↑ Homosexual Norwegians can now also marry in church. In: kleinezeitung.at . January 30, 2017, accessed January 30, 2017 .
- ^ Church of Norway 2015. Statistisk Norway, May 4, 2016.
- ↑ Rekordvalg i kirken kirken.no, accessed on January 3, 2017.