Comprehensive study on the Church of Sweden’s members

Jonas Bromander, religious sociologist/researcher and author of the book “Svenska kyrkans medlemmar” (Members of the Church of Sweden, Verbum 2011), which presents the Church of Sweden’s new member survey.

On the one hand, an attentive, hope-inspiring Church in which people place a great deal of trust. On the other hand, members with a relatively weak relationship to the Church and indifference to the Christian faith. This was demonstrated by the new Member 2010 study, in which as many as 10,700 members described their relationship with the Church of Sweden.

The Medlem 2010 study is presented in the book “Svenska kyrkans medlemmar”, published recently by Verbum förlag. 10,700 members described the ways in which they have encountered the Church of Sweden, the relationship they have with it and their perspective on life. Also, 3,000 non-members gave information on the contexts in which they have had contact with the Church of Sweden over the past year.

One image that Medlem 2010 confirms is that the Church has a great deal of trust to maintain, and that it is perceived as open, attentive and hope-inspiring. The Church of Sweden reaches about 85 per cent of its members during a year and a large majority intend to continue being members. Another part of the picture is that the Church of Sweden is irrelevant to its members, who seldom get involved in worship and are indifferent towards the Christian faith. According to the study, 90 percent of members have a relatively weak relationship with the Church.

The author of the book, Jonas Bromander, head of the analysis unit at the Central Church Office in Uppsala and responsible for the Medlem 2010 study, emphasises that a keyword in the book is relevance.

“Partly because there are relatively few people who see the Church as relevant, but at the same time members think that the Church should be relevant in an era where there are still major social problems, not least a longing to find the meaning of life,” explains Bromander.

“The study has shown that commitment to the Church, faith and religiosity can act as a system that carries meaning, even in our own time. This insight is worth building on.”

A few results from the study:

Those who have not been confirmed seem to find it more difficult to see the relevance of their membership. There is an increasing tendency among those of all ages who have not been confirmed to end their membership in the Church of Sweden.

Members’ associations with the Church are more positive than negative. The Church is perceived as both open and attentive, but also to some degree as conservative and old-fashioned.

The people who are in greatest need of hope, comfort and open doors do not seem to feel that the Church can provide this in the same way as people who are more content with life do.

Religious ceremonies, in other words, baptisms/christenings, confirmation, weddings and funerals, are the occasions on which the Church has most contact with both members and non-members. About 10 per cent of members have contacted the Church on occasions other than in conjunction with a special activity.

Background
In 2004 the Church of Sweden conducted a member survey for the first time. The report “Medlem i Svenska kyrkan – en studie kring samtid och framtid” (Member of the Church of Sweden – a study of the present and the future, Verbum 2005) is based on responses from 1,700 members aged 16–75. The study continued the work of the qualitative survey from 2003 entitled “Utträden som utmanar” (The challenge of members leaving the Church, Jonas Bromander, Svenska kyrkans utredningar 2003:2).

Contacts
Press secretary Ewa Almqvist, tel. +46 (0)705-46 96 77, ewa.almqvist@svenskakyrkan.se
Press secretary Kristiina Ruuti, tel. +46 (0)70-576 39 98, kristiina.ruuti@svenskakyrkan.se