"From a legal perspective, we are now permitted to be a church," says Bolling.
Eight months after historic legislation broke the more than 400-year bond between the state and the Lutheran Church of Sweden, Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders say the impact of the reform has been significant.
Pastor Per Bolling, president of the Adventist Church in Sweden says that while the day-to-day operation of the Adventist Church in Sweden remains nearly the same, the change has been very important in another sense.
“From a legal perspective, we are now permitted to be a church,” says Bolling. “Up until the beginning of this year, there was legally only one church in this country. The rest of the churches were organized as voluntary associations–like football clubs, for instance–or foundations, or as limited companies owned by shareholders.”
“Consequently, we applied to become a church, and we were registered as such in July this year,” reports Bolling.
Bolling says that the legislation will result in social and cultural changes that may take years or decades to develop, including a gradual erosion in the Church of Sweden’s monopoly as provider of rites of passage such as marriage and burial. In the short term, the reform will mean a significant reduction in the amount of government financial support for the Church of Sweden. The Church of Sweden has also gained more freedom in ordering its internal affairs; the appointment of bishops and deans will now be ecclesiastical rather than government decisions.
Dr. John Graz, director of the public affairs and religious liberty department of the Adventist Church worldwide, has also welcomed the changes, calling them a “movement towards a healthier, non-discriminatory environment in which the religious liberty of individuals is respected by the state.” Graz says the reform reflects the already high level of tolerance for diverse religious traditions in Sweden.
Eighty-seven percent of the Swedish population belong to the Church of Sweden, and until 1996, Swedish citizens became members of the Church at birth. The Adventist Church has been active in Sweden since 1901.