According to reviewed population statistics, 76.4 percent of Finns belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church on 31.12.2012. The number of members present in parishes was 4 146 056. In addition, the number of members living abroad, or absent members, was 183 072. The percentage does not include the members living abroad.

The General Synod approved the Church Council’s proposal for a collaboration agreement between the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa (ELCSA). The churches will seek to use the agreement to strengthen their relationship and collaboration. The agreement offers an opportunity to enrich the lives of both churches by learning from one another. ELCSA will [...]

According to reviewed population statistics, 77.2 percent of Finns belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church on 31.12.2011. The number of members present in parishes was 4 170 748. In addition, the number of members living abroad, or absent members, was 182 604. The percentage does not include the members living abroad.

According to Archbishop Kari Mäkinen, the Bishops’ Conference should address topical social issues more actively in addition to internal affairs within the Church. Archbishop Mäkinen opened the one-day Bishops’ Conference in Helsinki on 5 December 2011. He referred to both the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, and the EU Economic Summit, which will affect the global [...]

Member organisations of the Finnish Mission Council allocated almost five percent more financial support for international missionary and diaconal work in 2010 compared to the previous year. Altogether 80.6 million euros were used for international activities among the Finnish Mission Council’s member organisations. Total revenues amounted to 83.9 million euros, which were generated primarily from budget appropriations for the church, [...]

Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission Calls for Joint Commemoration (LWI) – Representatives of an ecumenical dialogue group that first met nearly 45 years ago, have affirmed the need for Lutherans and Roman Catholics to commemorate together the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation in ways that help to renew mutual commitment to the ongoing reform of the Christian community. “We agree together [...]

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland welcomes the initiatives of the Government Programme to raise the level of basic security by a hundred euros a month, as well as the new social guarantees for young people that will make it easier to find jobs and housing. These support the aims highlighted this spring by the Poverty Reduction Committee established by [...]

Konsultation in Helsinki mit Kirchenpräsident Schad als Vertreter der EKD-Kirchenkonferenz Helsinki/Speyer (lk). „Von der sichtbaren Einheit der Kirche“ lautete das Thema einer Konsultation zwischen der Evangelischen Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) und der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Kirche Finnlands (ELKF), die im Juni in Helsinki stattfand. Kirchenpräsident Christian Schad, der das Treffen während einer theologischen Expertentagung in Heidelberg im vergangenen Jahr mit vorbereitet hatte, [...]

Pastor, Master of Theology, Irja Askola (born 1952), was elected as Bishop of the Diocese of Helsinki on the second round of the election with 591 votes. She is the first woman to be elected as bishop in Finland.The rival candidate, Cathedral Dean, The…