Hot Topics

Nordic churches in Norway will have to prove their memberships

Svenska MargaretakyrkanSvenska Margaretakyrkan.Hammersborg in Oslo. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB scanpix

The Ministry of Culture has given the Finnish, Icelandic and Swedish Church in Norway six months to contact and confirm the membership of a total of 36,000 people. If  they don’t, they will get reduced support.

– It will be both difficult and very costly. The consequence is that the churches have less time and resources to do other things, such as church work directed towards its members,  Knut Rognlien says to Vårt Land. He is engaged as a lawyer for the three Nordic folk churches’ branches in Norway.

Previously the Nordic churches have been allowed to count all the people who have moved from the three countries, as members. This scheme expires on 1 January 2017 and any members who have not been confirmed by that time, will not count as a part of basis for support.

– We were told about this in July, and it is expected that everything will have been taken care of by  New Year. It is clear that six months is a short time to contact and record all our members,  minister Per Anders Sandgren in  Svenska Margaretaförsamlingen( the Swedish Margareta Congregation) says.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today