Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland explained

The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland
Orientation:High Church Lutheranism Lutheran
Theology:Confessional Lutheran
Leader:Bishop Juhana Pohjola
Headquarters:Helsinki
Founded Date:16 March 2013
Associations:International Lutheran Council
Area:Finland
Congregations:32
Members:1,952 (end of 2017).[1]

The Mission Diocese, officially the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, (Finnish: '''Suomen evankelisluterilainen lähetyshiippakunta''', Swedish: '''Evangelisk-lutherska missionsstiftet i Finland''') is an independent confessional Lutheran "ecclesial structure"[2] in Finland. The Mission Diocese considers itself to be "part of ‘the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church’" to be "truly a church" and to act "fully independently as a church", although it has not applied for state-recognition as a registered religious community.[3] The Mission Diocese has its origins in the conservative movements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) and it self-identifies as existing in the same continuum of Lutheran faith and congregational life of the ELCF whose spiritual heritage it cherishes, yet not being part of its administrative structures.[4]

The Mission Diocese was founded in March 2013. Its first bishop, Risto Soramies, was consecrated on 4 May 2013.[5] [6] [7]

The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland shares altar and pulpit fellowship with those in the Communion of Nordic Lutheran Dioceses, in addition to being a member of the International Lutheran Council.[8]

Background

The Mission Diocese was founded by the 22 congregations of the Finland and three other Lutheran congregations in 2013. The Luther Foundation had been established in 1999, starting to celebrate the Divine Service on one location in Helsinki in 2000. By 2004, the Luther Foundation had become a supporting member of the Swedish Mission Province.[9] Bishop Matti Väisänen had been consecrated in 2010 in order to serve the congregations in Finland,[10] which soon led to his being defrocked by the ELCF whose pastor he was.[11] [12] In 2012, the ELCF archbishop expressed his wish that the Luther Foundation establish its own church body.[13] The founding of the Ev. Luth. Mission Diocese of Finland in 2013 marked independence from the Mission Province of Sweden, although contacts remained close.[14] The ELCF continued to defrock its pastors now serving in the Mission Diocese: Bishop Risto Soramies was defrocked on 9 October 2013[15] [16] and Dean Juhana Pohjola on 5 August 2014.[17] [18] [19] On 8 April 2015, the Cathedral Chapter of the ELCF Archdiocese of Turku defrocked five ELCF pastors for breaking their ordination vows by serving in the Mission Diocese that the ELCF viewed a de facto different church body.[20] [21] [22]

The Mission Diocese was founded in response to the perceived secularisation[23] and liberalisation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and "to spread, maintain and renovate the true faith, to revive and strengthen Christian life and to implement Christian charity and diaconia"[24] in Finland. According to the Mission Diocese, the ELCF had in many ways distanced itself from its doctrinal foundation, the Bible and the Lutheran Book of Concord.[25] The Mission Diocese continues to serve those left "spiritually homeless"[26] by the theological reforms in the ELCF. These comprise e.g. the acceptance of the ordination of women (1986), the exclusion of such men from ordination who will not co-operate liturgically with women pastors (2006[27]) and the acceptance of same-sex relationships (2011[28] [29]). The Mission Diocese also reaches out to the unchurched and views the founding of Lutheran congregations as its principle in both domestic and foreign mission.[30]

By the end of 2016, the number of Mission Diocese congregations has grown to 32 congregations and 4 missions.[31]

Doctrine

The Mission Diocese holds that "all teaching, practice and life should be tested, executed and guided by the word of God."[32] The Mission Diocese recognises the Book of Concord as an accurate teaching of biblical doctrine.[33]

Congregations

As of 2016 the Mission Diocese has 32 organised congregations. In addition to this, Mass is celebrated on four other locations. Each congregation is part of one of the seven districts.[34]

District of Tavastia
District of Uusimaa
Eastern district
Northern district
Southeastern district
Southwestern district
Western district

International Contacts

In December 2014, Bishop Soramies consecrated Robert Kaumba as Bishop of the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Africa—Zambia Diocese.[35] The Lutheran Heritage Foundation and Lutherans in Africa are the Mission Diocese's partners in foreign mission.

The Mission Diocese declared altar and pulpit fellowship with the Mission Province of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway in 2015 and with Lutheran Church—Canada in 2017.[36] [37]

The Mission Diocese has also begun fellowship talks with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, and The Union of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Congregations in Finland.[38] [39] [40] It is also applying for membership in the International Lutheran Council.[41] [23] [42] [43]

References

  1. http://www.lhpk.fi/en/diocese/statistics/ Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
  2. Web site: Diocesan Order of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, I:1:2.
  3. News: A church growing into a church? Lähetyshiippakunta. 2015-06-26. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-24. en-GB.
  4. Web site: Diocesan Order of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, I:1:3.
  5. http://www.ess.fi/uutiset/kotimaa/2013/03/16/vanhoillinen-luther-saatio-valitsee-tanaan-piispansa-lahdessa Etelä-Suomen Sanomat: Vanhoillinen Luther-säätiö valitsee tänään piispansa Lahdessa.
  6. News: Soramies vihittiin Luther-säätiön piispaksi. STT. savonsanomat.fi – Savon Sanomat. 2017-03-25. fi-FI.
  7. Web site: Naispappeutta vastustavien lähetyshiippakunta vihki oman piispansa. Yle Uutiset. fi. 2017-03-25.
  8. Web site: Block . Mathew . Swedish Lutherans consecrate new bishop . . 7 May 2021 . English . 13 June 2019.
  9. News: Historia - Suomen Luther-säätiö. Suomen Luther-säätiö. 2017-03-25. fi-FI.
  10. http://www.missionsprovinsen.se/component/content/article/112 Missionsprovinsen i Sverige.
  11. Web site: Rogue Bishop Stripped of Clerical Standing. Yle Uutiset. en. 2017-03-25.
  12. News: Luther Foundation Ordains Its Own Ministers. Yle Uutiset. 2017-03-25. en.
  13. News: Archbishop: Luther Foundation leaving church. Yle Uutiset. 2017-03-25. en.
  14. News: Evangelisk-lutherska missionsstiftet i Finland (in Swedish). 17 March 2013. 24 March 2017. 3 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140903112215/http://www.missionsprovinsen.se/artiklar/344-evangelisk-lutherska-missionsstiftet-i-finland. dead.
  15. Web site: Tampereen tuomiokapituli: Risto Soramies menettää pappisvirkansa. Yle Uutiset. fi. 2017-03-25.
  16. News: Luther-säätiön piispa menettää pappisvirkansa. mtv.fi. 2017-03-25. fi.
  17. Web site: Juhana Pohjola menettää pappisvirkansa. Yle Uutiset. fi. 2017-03-25.
  18. News: Defrocked, set aside (Dean Juhana Pohjola) Lähetyshiippakunta. 2014-08-05. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. en-GB.
  19. Web site: Lutheran Heritage Foundation. www.lhfmissions.org. en-us. 2017-03-25.
  20. News: Turun tuomiokapituli erotti viisi Luther-säätiön pappia. Turun Sanomat. 2017-03-25. fi-FI.
  21. News: Pastors defrocked by ELCF: We have not broken our ordination vows Lähetyshiippakunta. 2015-04-10. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. en-GB.
  22. Web site: Church of Finland Removes Confessional Pastors. wmltblog.org. 2017-03-25.
  23. News: Nordic Lutheran churches seek ILC membership - LCMS News & Information. 2016-01-28. LCMS News & Information. 2017-03-25. en-US.
  24. Web site: Diocesan Order of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, I:2:1.
  25. http://www.lhpk.fi/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/perustamisasiakirja.pdf Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland — Founding Document.
  26. News: A church growing into a church? Lähetyshiippakunta. 2015-06-26. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. en-GB.
  27. Web site: Piispainkokous 6 § 09/12/2006 12:00:00 AM. kappeli.evl.fi. 2017-03-25.
  28. Web site: PASTORAALINEN OHJE VAPAAMUOTOISESTA RUKOUKSESTA PARISUHTEENSA REKISTERÖINEIDEN KANSSA JA HEIDÄN PUOLESTAAN.
  29. Web site: Registered partnerships Evl.fi - Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. kappeli.evl.fi. 2017-03-25.
  30. News: Lähetys Lähetyshiippakunta. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. fi-FI.
  31. News: Statistics Mission Diocese. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. fi-FI.
  32. http://www.lhpk.fi/en/confession/ Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
  33. http://www.lhpk.fi/en/confession/ Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
  34. http://www.lhpk.fi/en/congregations/ Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
  35. http://www.lhpk.fi/piispan-virkaan-asettaminen-sambiassa/ Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland.
  36. Web site: Luterilaista yhteyttä Pohjoismaissa. Suomen evankelisluterilaisen lähetyshiippakunnan. 11 November 2015.
  37. Web site: LCC Declares Fellowship with Finnish Lutherans. 2017-10-15. Canadian Lutheran. 2018-03-28.
  38. News: Church fellowship talks commenced with the SELK and the ELCE Lähetyshiippakunta. 2016-04-15. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. en-GB.
  39. Web site: Nordic Lutheran Dioceses enter fellowship talks with German and English Lutherans. Block. Mathew. 2016-05-18. International Lutheran Council. 2017-03-25.
  40. Web site: Yhteydet. Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland. 2018-03-28.
  41. News: The Mission Diocese invited to apply for ILC membership Lähetyshiippakunta. 2016-02-25. Lähetyshiippakunta. 2017-03-25. en-GB.
  42. Web site: The Nordic Lutheran Dioceses and the International Lutheran Conference Discuss Membership. wmltblog.org. 2017-03-25.
  43. Web site: The Nordic Lutheran Dioceses and the International Lutheran Council Discuss Membership. Collver. Al. 2016-01-20. International Lutheran Council. 2017-03-25.

External links

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