Editorial The threat of emptying the coffers forces the church to make tough decisions in Helsinki

Editorial|Editorial

Church year the beginning is a time when many secular Finns go to church. Christmas Eve and the first Sunday of Advent have become the most popular days of church attendance, and before the coronavirus epidemic, otherwise quiet churches might have been full.

The epidemic has also affected church attendance. Now, many omit Christmas Eve from their church tradition because of their own transformation, which is wise, even though the restrictions of the regional authorities do not apply to devotion and worship.

Even the number of visitors to popular church days was still declining before the epidemic, as was church attendance in general. According to a survey commissioned by the Church Research Center in 2019, two percent of Finns worship weekly and six percent monthly. More than a quarter said they worship less than once a year, and 42 percent of respondents had not worshiped at all in recent years.

The background is a general trend towards secularization in the West. In Finland, the proportion of the population that belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church has been particularly monitored. According to preliminary data released by the Church Information Center last week, 66.6 percent of the population will be members of the Church by the end of the year.

In Helsinki, the proportion is clearly smaller: only about half of the capital’s residents belong to the church. The loss of membership is forecast to accelerate. The church itself estimates that at the beginning of the next decade, far less than 40 percent of Helsinki residents will belong to the church.

Bridge The development is beginning to have an economic impact in Helsinki.

The decline in membership was not reflected in a decline in tax revenue as people’s incomes rose and young people in particular left the church. In the future, however, tax revenues will decline, so there are savings ahead. Otherwise, the cash will be emptied in a few years.

In early December, the joint church council of Helsinki parishes approved a multi-year savings package. Its details are yet to be decided, but the goal of this project called Bravely Together is to make structural changes instead of saving on cheese planers. For example, the abandonment of the churches in Alppila, Herttoniemi, Munkkiniemi, Oulunkylä, Pihlajamäki and Tammisalo has been on display.

Saving on property costs is understandable, as the congregation has 230 buildings, 42 of which are churches and chapels. Many of the buildings built in the 1960s and 1970s are also undergoing an expensive renovation phase.

Decisions are still not easy. The closure of the home church can mourn what is rarely done there, and Finland has not yet had to think properly about what can be done for the former churches. Yet saving from buildings is more understandable than cutting out the various church services that people turn to in times of need. Especially when attending church is not a major reason to belong to a church.

In Helsinki Immigration also increases the proportion of non-members of the church, as Christian immigrants do not generally join the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland.

Still, the contraction of the church in Helsinki has social implications throughout the country. The position and influence of the Church will inevitably diminish, which is natural in secular societies. The definition of Finnishness lives on. Within the church, on the other hand, the decisive factor is whether the decline will increase the position of conservatives.

For the church, development is not just a bad thing, even though there are nasty decisions ahead and the loss of influence is always flaring. Large organizations easily become complacent and agency-like, and the church is no exception. They also usually need a crisis to decide what they want to be.

The editorials are HS’s statements on a topical issue. The writings are prepared by HS’s editorial staff and reflect the magazine principle.