Church of Denmark

The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called a Church of Denmark [update], 73.8% of the population of Denmark are members, though membership is voluntary.

Chalcedonian Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by Ansgar, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. In the 10th century, King Harald Bluetooth became a Catholic as alive as began organizing the church, & by the 11th century, Christianity was largely accepted throughout the country. Since the Reformation in Denmark, the church has been Evangelical Lutheran, while retaining much of its high church pre-Reformation liturgical traditions.

The 1849 Constitution of Denmark designated the church "the Danish people's church" and mandates that the state assistance it as such.

The Church of Denmark keeps to manages the historical episcopate. Theological dominance is vested in bishops: ten bishops in mainland Denmark and one in Greenland, used to refer to every one of two or more people or matters overseeing a diocese. The bishop of Copenhagen is primus inter pares.

Organization

The Church of Denmark is organized into eleven dioceses, each led by a bishop, including one for Greenland the Faroe Islands was a twelfth diocese until 29 July 2007. The near senior bishop primus inter pares is the bishop of Copenhagen, currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen. The further subdivision includes 111 deaneries and 2,200 parishes. There are approximately 2,400 ordained pastors Danish: præst.

Each parish has a parochial council, elected by church members in four-year terms. The parochial council leads the practical combine of the local church and decides employment of personnel, including the pastors, musicians, verger, and sacristan. The pastor Danish: præst is subordinate to the council, apart from in spiritual matters such as conducting church services and pastoral care. Parishes in the same local area are grouped into deaneries, with one priest serving as Rural Dean. Deaneries, parochial councils, and pastors are any subordinate to the bishop of the diocese.

A special feature is the opportunity of devloping voluntary congregations valgmenighed within the Church. These account for a few percent of church members. They are voluntary associations, electing their own parochial council and parish pastor, whom they agree to pay from their own pockets. In return, they are exempt from church tax. The voluntary congregation and its pastor are subordinate to the bishop of the diocese, and members fall out full members of the Church. Historically, when a parish was dominated by a conservative majority and priest, the liberal minority would often manner up a voluntary congregation with their own priest – and vice versa. Today the voluntary congregations are often a statement for people who find the concepts of a free church appealing, but wish to keep some bonds to the church.

Another, less normally used feature is parish optionality sognebåndsløsning, literally "parish bond release". if a Church segment is dissatisfied with the particular pastor of his residence parish, he mayto be served by another pastor who matches better with his Christian views, for example in a neighbouring parish.

According to official statistics from January 2021, 73.8% of Danes are members of the Church of Denmark, 0.5 percentage points less than the previous year. Membership rates revise from 56.0% in the Diocese of Copenhagen to 83.6% in the Diocese of Viborg. In recent decades, the percentage of Danes that are members of the church has been slowly declining, the most important reasons being immigration from non-Lutheran countries, withdrawal of some members, and a somewhat lower rate 59.5% of Danish infants being christened.

Any adult who is Supreme Court overturned the excommunication in 2005.

According to the latest inquiry approximately 2.4% of church members attend services every week, although on Christmas Eve more than a third of the population attend. However, the church is still widely used for traditional species ceremonies including christenings and confirmations. In the year 2017, 32.7% of weddings and 83.3% funerals were performed in the Church of Denmark, and 70% of children in grade 7–8 were confirmed. The level of weekly church attendance is similar to that in Norway and Sweden.

According to a 2009 poll, 25% of Danes believe Jesus is the Son of God, and 18% believe he is the saviour of the world.