• Source: Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland

The Mission Diocese, officially the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, (Finnish: Suomen evankelisluterilainen lähetyshiippakunta, Swedish: Evangelisk-lutherska missionsstiftet i Finland) is an independent confessional Lutheran "ecclesial structure" in Finland. The Mission Diocese considers itself to be "part of ‘the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church’" to be "truly a church" and to act "fully independently as a church", although it has not applied for state-recognition as a registered religious community. The Mission Diocese has its origins in the conservative movements of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) and it self-identifies as existing in the same continuum of Lutheran faith and congregational life of the ELCF whose spiritual heritage it cherishes, yet not being part of its administrative structures.
The Mission Diocese was founded in March 2013. Its first bishop, Risto Soramies, was consecrated on 4 May 2013.
The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland shares altar and pulpit fellowship with those in the Communion of Nordic Lutheran Dioceses, in addition to being a member of the International Lutheran Council.




Background


The Mission Diocese was founded by the 22 congregations of the Luther Foundation Finland and three other Lutheran congregations in 2013. The Luther Foundation had been established in 1999, starting to celebrate the Divine Service on one location in Helsinki in 2000. By 2004, the Luther Foundation had become a supporting member of the Swedish Mission Province. Bishop Matti Väisänen had been consecrated in 2010 in order to serve the congregations in Finland, which soon led to his being defrocked by the ELCF whose pastor he was. In 2012, the ELCF archbishop expressed his wish that the Luther Foundation establish its own church body. The founding of the Ev. Luth. Mission Diocese of Finland in 2013 marked independence from the Mission Province of Sweden, although contacts remained close. The ELCF continued to defrock its pastors now serving in the Mission Diocese: Bishop Risto Soramies was defrocked on 9 October 2013 and Dean Juhana Pohjola on 5 August 2014. On 8 April 2015, the Cathedral Chapter of the ELCF Archdiocese of Turku defrocked five ELCF pastors for breaking their ordination vows by serving in the Mission Diocese that the ELCF viewed a de facto different church body.
The Mission Diocese was founded in response to the perceived secularisation and liberalisation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and "to spread, maintain and renovate the true faith, to revive and strengthen Christian life and to implement Christian charity and diaconia" in Finland. According to the Mission Diocese, the ELCF had in many ways distanced itself from its doctrinal foundation, the Bible and the Lutheran Book of Concord. The Mission Diocese continues to serve those left "spiritually homeless" by the theological reforms in the ELCF. These comprise e.g. the acceptance of the ordination of women (1986), the exclusion of such men from ordination who will not co-operate liturgically with women pastors (2006) and the acceptance of same-sex relationships (2011). The Mission Diocese also reaches out to the unchurched and views the founding of Lutheran congregations as its principle in both domestic and foreign mission.
By the end of 2016, the number of Mission Diocese congregations has grown to 32 congregations and 4 missions.




Doctrine


The Mission Diocese holds that "all teaching, practice and life should be tested, executed and guided by the word of God." The Mission Diocese recognises the Book of Concord as an accurate teaching of biblical doctrine.




Congregations


As of 2016 the Mission Diocese has 32 organised congregations. In addition to this, Mass is celebrated on four other locations. Each congregation is part of one of the seven districts.

District of Tavastia
Hämeenlinna: Matteuksen seurakunta
Jyväskylä: Jesajan luterilainen seurakunta
Lahti: Samuelin luterilainen seurakunta
Tampere: Johanneksen seurakunta
District of Uusimaa
Espoo: Pyhän Tuomaksen seurakunta
Helsinki: Pyhän Markuksen luterilainen seurakunta
Lohja: Pyhän Ristin luterilainen seurakunta
Vantaa: Pyhän Kolminaisuuden luterilainen seurakunta
Eastern district
Iisalmi: Danielin seurakunta
Joensuu: Pyhän Nehemian luterilainen seurakunta
Kitee
Kuopio: Pyhän Pietarin luterilainen seurakunta
Nurmes
Northern district
Kajaani: Filippuksen seurakunta
Kemi
Oulu: Timoteuksen seurakunta
Rovaniemi: Stefanoksen seurakunta
Sodankylä: Elian seurakunta
Southeastern district
Imatra: Joosuan seurakunta
Kotka
Kouvola: Pauluksen seurakunta
Lappeenranta: Joonan seurakunta
Mikkeli: Tiituksen luterilainen seurakunta
Savonlinna: Pyhän Jaakobin luterilainen seurakunta
Southwestern district
Laitila: Aamoksen seurakunta
Loimaa: Hyvän Paimenen luterilainen seurakunta
Pori: Sakkeuksen seurakunta
Rauma: Pyhän Marian seurakunta
Turku: Pyhän Paavalin luterilainen seurakunta
Turku: Sankt Gabriels församling (Swedish)
Western district
Jakobstad: Sankt Jakobs församling (Swedish)
Kokkola: Andreaksen luterilainen seurakunta
Pyhänkoski: Simeonin seurakunta
Seinäjoki: Luukkaan seurakunta
Vaasa: Mikaelin seurakunta
Vaasa: Sankt Immanuels lutherska församling (Swedish)




International Contacts


In December 2014, Bishop Soramies consecrated Robert Kaumba as Bishop of the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Africa—Zambia Diocese. The Lutheran Heritage Foundation and Lutherans in Africa are the Mission Diocese's partners in foreign mission.
The Mission Diocese declared altar and pulpit fellowship with the Mission Province of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway in 2015 and with Lutheran Church—Canada in 2017.
The Mission Diocese has also begun fellowship talks with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, and The Union of Independent Evangelical Lutheran Congregations in Finland. It is also applying for membership in the International Lutheran Council.




References






External links


Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland Official Website

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil
• International Lutheran Council
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
• Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia
• Confessional Lutheranism
• Ceylon Evangelical Lutheran Church
• Evangelical Catholic
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod