The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church, or the Free Church as it is commonly known ( no, Den Evangelisk Lutherske Frikirke, shortened ''Frikirken''), is a nationwide

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

church in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

, consisting of 83 congregations and 21,817 baptised members. It was founded in 1877 in

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta ('' sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and ...

. It is distinct from the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church ...

, although both churches are members of the

Lutheran World Federation The Lutheran World Federation (LWF; german: Lutherischer Weltbund) is a global communion of national and regional Lutheran denominations headquartered in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. The federation was founded in the Swedish ...

. The Free Church is economically independent.

Doctrine and polity

The Evangelical Lutheran Free Church is founded on the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

and the confession of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The ''Frikirken'' 'believes, teaches, and confesses that the Bible is the only rule and guideline for faith, doctrine, and life'. As a

Free Church A free church is a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separate from government (as opposed to a state church). A free church does not define government policy, and a free church does not accept church theology or policy definitions fro ...

, the ''Frikirken'' is founded upon the local congregation. In each local congregation those who are

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

and confess the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

faith are endowed with voting rights and responsibilities. Each congregation is led by ordained elders (

Presbyters Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros,'' which means elder or senior, although many in the Christian antiquity would understand ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning a ...

), and each has the authority to call its clergy and all other personnel and pass its own church laws. The highest authority in the denomination is the

Synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin word mean ...

, which is a common national organisation, peopled with presbyters and representatives from each individual congregation. The Synod convenes every three years, and it is governed by the Synod Board, which is made up of seven members, each of whom is elected by the general Synod.

Schools, colleges, and publications

The ''Frikirken'' has established several educational and publishing organisations. In 1921, the ''Frikirken'' founded the ''Fredtun Frikirkens'' Secondary School, which has now been renamed as the ''Stavern Folke Høyskole'' (Stavern Folk High School). The ''Frikirken'' also established the Lutheran Bible and Church Seminary (LBM) in 1965. The Seminary was eventually renamed as the ''Frikirkens'' Theological College (FTH), before becoming the University College of Staffeldts Gate (HiS) in 2004, following a merge with the Bible School in Oslo. In January 2013, HiS became part of the

NLA University College NLA University College ( no, NLA Høgskolen) is a private Norwegian Christian college accredited by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. The school has about 2,000 students and 200 employees distributed across three instituti ...

, and was subsequently renamed as the NLA University College Staffeldtsgate. In partnership with several other denominational and missional bodies, the ''Frikirken'' contributed to the establishment of the

China Lutheran Seminary China Lutheran Seminary is an independent theological school, graduate school, and seminary, located in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Founded in 1966, the seminary is Lutheran in tradition and practice. History China Lutheran Seminary was founded in 19 ...

in 1966, in Hsinchu City,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

. The ''Frikirken'' instituted its own publication, ''Budbæreren'' (the Messenger) in 1883. It releases ten issues annually.

References

External links

Official site
Lutheran denominations Lutheranism in Norway Protestantism in Norway Lutheran World Federation members {{Lutheran-stub