Welcome!
Greatest of all is love.
Åpen folkekirke desires a church which promotes human dignity and combats discrimination in all its forms. Everyone should feel wholeheartedly included and welcome in the Church of Norway.
We want to be an open church, seeing all people the way Jesus did. He listened and let the people he encountered impact his own life and decisions. He was a champion of the oppressed and excluded, and had harsh words for anyone perpetrating exclusion and otherness. This is the core of our faith. This is what the Church of Norway has to live and stand for.
Åpen folkekirke wants a church that lifts people up. The Church of Norway has for a thousand years been a place where people can come during happiness and sorrow, with all their questions and pondering. Some come regularly, others more seldom. Some come with a strong faith, others arrive full of doubt. Some come for the first time, others as part of a tradition. We want to be a church that has room for everyone.
«For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?»
Romans 8.24
Every 4 years, the Church of Norway holds elections for its synod, including diocesan councils, and congregational councils. This is the basis of democracy in our church. We see our church democracy as an important part of making sure that all people are able to take part in and influence how we organize our Church of Norway, and how we spread the message of Christ. If you are a member of The Church of Norway, and at least 15 years old, you are eligible to vote. If you are unsure of whether you are a member or not you can check your status at the website www.kirken.no. In 2019, three different lists of candidates were put forward for the vote. Our own list; Åpen folkekirke (The Open people’s church), the list of Bønnelista (The Prayer list), and Nominasjonskomitéens liste (The Nomination Committee’s list). Åpen folkekirke won a majority of the votes.
We, Åpen folkekirke, want to:
- Develop the church as an open, democratic, and inclusive people’s church
- Make everyone feel welcome – there is no A- or B-membership or gauging of faith
- Make sure no one is to be discriminated against, not employees nor volunteers
- Increase competence on LGBTQ+ issues, gender and sexuality
- Focus on diaconal work and volunteering
- Protect the earth, nature and environment, as it is God’s creation
- Emphasize the church as the cultural conveyor it is, and make it more accessible and proactive
- Have more open church buildings, where people can visit both spiritually and recreationally. Make our churches a place where groups of different kinds, choirs, prayer groups, scouts etc., can operate and feel welcome, and also discover the message and values of christianity.
- Be a good employer for all our priests and staff, and make them feel safe and valued as important parts of our church.
- Be an attractive workplace, and recruit more people to lead us in worship in the best way possible.
- Organize the church in a more effective way, we all have to work together to make The Church of Norway a safe and welcoming space for everyone.
- Make way for a turnover to counter the negative trends in statistics. We want to introduce the church as a good place to be baptised, confirmed, and married, where everyone feels welcome, safe, developed, and at home.