The Church of Sweden Abroad ( sv, Svenska kyrkan i utlandet) is an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden ( sv, Svenska kyrkan) is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.6 million members at year end 2021, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sw ...

. The Church of Sweden Abroad (SKUT) has more than 40 parishes throughout the world, concentrated in Western Europe. Another 80 cities are served by visiting clergy. In administration and practice SKUT forms a single body, originally under the direction of a committee of the

General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...

, but since 1 January 2012 organised by a newly formed Council, giving SKUT many of the features of a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

, though without that legal status, and without a bishop of its own. Instead, it is placed under the episcopal oversight of the Bishop of

Visby Visby () is an urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably th ...

. Under the new 2012 organisation SKUT has gained constituent seats on the General Synod of the Church of Sweden, like the 13 mainland dioceses.

History

The first parish established abroad was that of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, which dates from 1626 when the

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

king of France,

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

, allowed a Swedish Protestant pastor to minister to the Swedish and German regiments fighting in his royal army. The congregation developed with the Swedish community in Paris and was at the foundation of several Swedish institutions in the city, such as a school and an hospice. It served as embassy church for several hundred years, and until 1988 the rector was also an official of the Swedish embassy in Paris. Today the Swedish Sofia Parish (''Svenska Sofiaförsamlingen''), named for queen

Sofia of Nassau Sophia of Nassau (Sophia Wilhelmine Marianne Henriette; 9 July 1836 – 30 December 1913) was Queen of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar II. She was Queen of Sweden for 35 years, longer than anyone before her, and the longest-servin ...

, is one of SKUT's largest. It was also the first (and so far only) expatriate parish of the Church of Sweden to appoint a female rector, the Reverend Karin Burstrand. (Mrs Burstrand would however leave her functions, to assume those of dean of Gothenburg Cathedral in summer 2008.)

Restructuring of 2012

The 2012 restructuring of SKUT gave the organisation a quasi-diocesan nature, including a governing Council, and seats on the General Synod. At the same time, staffing was reviewed with a total reduction of 25%. The locations of overseas parishes were also reviewed, with significant changes made, including the closure of two parishes in Spain (and later two more), the replacing of the Cairo parish with a mobile priest in north Africa, closures in Antwerp and northern Denmark (Skagen), and the closure of the Swedish Seamen's Church in Lower Road,

Rotherhithe Rotherhithe () is a district of south-east London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, as well as the Isle of Dogs ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Previously London had been the only city outside Sweden to have two Church of Sweden parishes. The other SKUT parish in London (in Harcourt Street) remains open and active, but the total number of church staff in London was also reduced from 2 priests and 4 pastoral assistants, to 2 priests and 1 pastoral assistant. The following year (2013) SKUT also closed its only other United Kingdom parish, in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

,Closure reported in th
Liverpool Echo
newspaper. and discontinued the parish priest's post in that city. Meanwhile, several new parishes have opened in Europe and Asia.

Deployment of deacons

SKUT has traditionally employed ordained priests in overseas parishes, supported by some professional lay workers (pastoral assistants and musicians). During 2011, a decision was made to employ full-time ordained deacons to work in areas of social care and outreach. This is a normal part of church life in Sweden, but had not previously been practiced in the overseas parishes. The Archbishop's annual report and review of 2011 stated: "The Committee for the Church of Sweden Abroad made a historic decision in 2011 by setting up deacon posts. These can strengthen parish welfare practice and ensure that the parish develops favourably. Through solid parish welfare services, the Church of Sweden Abroad gains trust and is able to serve its members in the way that it should. The decision was made following a study."

List of churches

;Africa *A peripatetic priest is assigned to Africa ''There are no longer any fixed parishes in Africa.'' Paris - Svenska kyrkan 10

;Asia *A peripatetic priest is assigned to Asia *Bangkok, Thailand *Phuket, Thailand *Dubai, United Arab Emirates *Hong Kong, China *Jerusalem *Singapore, Singapore ;Europe Victoriagemeinde turm

*Athens, Greece *Ayia Napa, Cyprus *Berlin, Germany *Bern, Switzerland *Brussels, Belgium *Copenhagen, Denmark *Frankfurt, Germany *Fuengirola, Spain *Genera, Switzerland *Hamburg, Germany *Helsinki, Finland (in 2007, the church was transferred to the Diocese of Borgå, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) *Lausanne, Switzerland *London, United Kingdom *Los Cristianos, Spain (Tenerife) *Monaco (& the south of France) *Munich, Germany *Oslo, Norway *Palma de Mallorca, Spain *Paris, France *Rhodes, Greece *Rome, Italy *Rotterdam, Netherlands *Tallinn, Estonia (Swedish-speaking congregation in the

Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church The Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church (EELC; Estonian: ''Eesti Evangeelne Luterlik Kirik'', abbreviated EELK) is a Lutheran church in Estonia. EELC is member of the Lutheran World Federation and belongs to the Community of Protestant Church ...

) *Torrevieja, Spain *Vienna, Austria *Zurich, Switzerland ;North America Church of Sweden (2329185243)

*Florida, United States *Los Angeles, United States *

Church of Sweden in New York Church of Sweden in New York ( sv, Svenska kyrkan i New York; also known as the Swedish Seamen's Church) is a Church of Sweden church at 5 East 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is a parish of the C ...

, New York City, United States *San Francisco, United States *Washington DC, United States *Toronto, Canada ;Oceania *Melbourne, Australia *Sydney, Australia ;South America *A peripatetic priest is assigned to South America *Buenos Aires, Argentine *São Paulo, Brazil

References

External links