Swedish Free Church Council
Encyclopedia
The Swedish Free Church Council is an association of free church
es in Sweden
. It is part of the Christian Council of Sweden (Sveriges Kristna Råd).
In total the member churches have about 250,000 members, with almost double that figure involved in the churches' activities. The largest member church is the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
, with approximately 65,000 members.
The free churches belong to various Protestant denominations
: Baptists, Methodists, Reformed, Pentecostal etc. Most of the free church denominations in Sweden began during the nineteenth century when an evangelical
revival broke out. The Swedish free church family has many branches, often quite different, but united in the common bond of the necessity of a personal faith
.
Free church
The term "free church" refers to a Christian denomination that is intrinsically separated from government . A free church does not define government policy, nor have governments define church policy or theology, nor seeks or receives government endorsement or funding for its general mission...
es in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It is part of the Christian Council of Sweden (Sveriges Kristna Råd).
In total the member churches have about 250,000 members, with almost double that figure involved in the churches' activities. The largest member church is the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden , founded in 1878, is a Swedish Reformed free church. It is the second-largest Christian denomination in the country, after the national church, the Church of Sweden...
, with approximately 65,000 members.
The free churches belong to various Protestant denominations
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
: Baptists, Methodists, Reformed, Pentecostal etc. Most of the free church denominations in Sweden began during the nineteenth century when an evangelical
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
revival broke out. The Swedish free church family has many branches, often quite different, but united in the common bond of the necessity of a personal faith
Faith in Christianity
Faith, in Christianity, has been most commonly defined by the biblical formulation in the Letter to the Hebrews as "'the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen". Most of the definitions in the history of Christian theology have followed this biblical formulation...
.
Members
- Baptist Union of SwedenBaptist Union of SwedenThe Baptist Union of Sweden is the oldest of several Baptist bodies in Sweden.The first known Baptist church in Sweden was organized on September 21, 1848 in Vallersvik, where a group of people committed the first known baptism in Sweden. At the time this was a crime, and the new movement's leader...
(Svenska Baptistsamfundet) - French Reformed Church in StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
(Franska Reformerta Kyrkan; ) - Mission Covenant Church of SwedenMission Covenant Church of SwedenThe Mission Covenant Church of Sweden , founded in 1878, is a Swedish Reformed free church. It is the second-largest Christian denomination in the country, after the national church, the Church of Sweden...
(Svenska Missionskyrkan, incorporating the Swedish Salvation Army, which is a separate organisation from the international Salvation Army, which also operates in Sweden) - United Methodist Church of Sweden (Metodistkyrkan)
- Salvation ArmySalvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
in Sweden (Frälsningsarmén) - Swedish Alliance Mission (Svenska Alliansmissionen)
- Vineyard Norden, see Association of Vineyard ChurchesAssociation of Vineyard ChurchesThe Association of Vineyard Churches, also known as the Vineyard Movement, is a neocharismatic evangelical Christian denomination with over 1,500 affiliated churches worldwide....
- InterAct (Evangeliska Frikyrkan) (observer)
- Pentecostal Movement in Sweden (Pingströrelsen) (observer)
- Seventh-day Adventist ChurchSeventh-day Adventist ChurchThe Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
in Sweden (Adventistsamfundet) (observer)