- The Church of Sweden has about six million baptised members
- Officials expect to lose more than a million members within a decade
- 85,848 members left in 2016 and 93,093 in 2017
- The church says the cost of maintaining its buildings remains very high
Sweden’s national Lutheran church expects to lose more than a million members within ten years and is considering selling property it can no longer afford to maintain, the Christian Post reported in February 2018.
The Church of Sweden has about six million baptised members. Church figures showed 85,848 people left in 2016 and 93,093 in 2017. Press officer Martin Larsson said the main reason was declining faith, adding that people born in the 1990s were especially likely to leave.
Church council chairman Börje Holgersson explained the financial problem. “While we’re losing members and fewer people are attending services, the cost of maintaining our churches is still very high,” he said.
The report also noted controversies within the church, including its 2017 guidance on gender-neutral language in services and its earlier decisions to consecrate its first lesbian bishop and to bless same-sex marriages in 2009.
For Jamaican church leaders and trustees, the Swedish figures show how quickly a well-established church can end up with more buildings than it needs. When membership falls, the costs of roofs, heating, insurance and staff do not. The response, selling or repurposing property, is one many denominations eventually face. Churches in Jamaica can avoid being forced into rushed sales by tracking membership and income and reviewing their building needs regularly, while buyers and investors should watch for well-located church property coming to market as denominations consolidate.
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