identity and change anglican-lutheran co-operation in finland

Identity and Change

Identity and Change

Anglican-Lutheran co-operation in FinlandAnglican-Lutheran co-operation in Finland

The Birth• Russian Revolution: The St Petersburg

Chaplaincy fled to Helsinki

• Identity

• Refugees - migrants

• Embassy personnel, businessmen and spouses

Wartime• No hostilities between the Churches or

parish people, but quiet hospitality

• Archbishop of Canterbury prayed for Finland in the Winter War 1939 and for the Red Army a year later - Finns bitter

• The Helsinki Embassy closed 1941-1944 - no Chaplain for the Chaplaincy

• The Finnish Seamen’s Pastor in London free to work throughout the war

Cold War• New Chaplain to Helsinki in 1948

• Served also Moscow (4 times a year) and later Ulan Bator (once a year)

• propaganda and education

• Identity - a handmaiden of the national church

Emerging multi-culturalism

• Not only a British club, but also American, Russian, etc. influence

• Links with the Finnish-Swedish society

Early Co-operation• Always cordial; sometimes closer,

sometimes not

• Clearly defined boundaries

• Ecumenical agreement on economical intercommunion from the 1930s - good personal relations often more important

co-operation or competition?• Chaplaincy in the service of the wider

English-speaking community - only show in the city

• support from the Lutheran Church - for instance the use of the Helsinki Cathedral Chapel free of charge!

• Finnish and American Lutherans set up a new English-language congregation in Helsinki in the 1970s - International Evangelical Church (IEC)

• tense relations - fishing from the same pond, even the same congregation!

The wind of changeFinland - 1990s

• The end of the Cold War

• Finland joins the EU

• Migrants and multiculturalism

• The Porvoo Agreement

The Porvoo Declaration• We commit ourselves (58 b)

i to share a common life in mission and service, to pray for and with one another, and to share resources ii to welcome one another's members to receive sacramental and other pastoral ministrations; iii to regard baptized members of all our churches as members of our own; iv to welcome diaspora congregations into the life of the indigenous churches, to their mutual enrichment; v to welcome persons episcopally ordained in any of our churches to the office of bishop, priest or deacon to serve, by invitation and in accordance with any regulations which may from time to time be in force, in that ministry in the receiving church without re-ordination;

Co-operation• Common members - common congregations?

• Helsinki Cathedral welcomes the Anglican Chaplaincy

• Co-operation in Tampere, Turku, Oulu, etc.

• Common ministers

• Permission to officiate (PTO) and Lutheran Assistant Curate (2001)

Identity?• Double members - ecclesiastical double

agents?

• Dual episcopal oversight

• clergy?

• congregations?

The third layer Multiculturalism and

identity• The involvement of migrant Anglicans, Lutherans, and other Christians

• Cultural and denominational perceptions and prejudices

• The identity and integrity of the work among immigrants

• Integration, involvement, welcoming - the appropriate structures of inclusion or ecclesiastical ghettos?

The Tampere Model• Lutheran work form (Tampere Parish

Federation Work Among Immigrants)

• Anglican congregation (The International Congregation of Christ the King Tampere)

• Mutually accepted clergy - common work

Advantages• Denominationally solid (Lutheran-

Anglican) - ecumenically open

• against sectarianism and proselytism serving people of all traditions

• Identity - beyond “Anglican sweat - Lutheran money”

• Porvoo - Tool for Mission!

challenges• Structures?

• Does the dual episcopal oversight work?

• Conflicts?

• How are they solved?

• Global dimension?

• Finances?

• Who pays for what?

Beyond traditional forms and languages

• The arrival of Sudanese refugee Anglicans worshipping in Arabic!

• Our story is not over; we need to proceed in order to survive the fresh challenges