Norway Evangelical Lutheran Church loses thousands of members after introducing online option to leave

Jardine Malado Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Around 15,000 Norwegians made the choice to leave the Norwegian evangelical Lutheran Church after a site was launched allowing members to cancel their membership. The church website reported 10,854 resignations and only 240 new enrollments on the launch of the new system.

According to RT, the Norwegian Church set up the website to respond to the government's plea for the Church to keep track of its membership.

Interior of Rollag stave church in Rollag, Buskerud, Norway. | Wikimedia Commons/Mahlum

Archbishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien did not seem surprised by the mass membership cancellations. "We were prepared that there would [be] a considerable number of people cancelling their membership, and we have great respect for each individual's personal choice," Byfuglien told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

Jens Petter Johnsen, the director of the State Church Council, believed that many members had already decided to leave the Church but never actually took the time to go through the paperwork. "Although it has never been difficult to opt out of the Church, many have failed to submit [a] withdrawal form or correct errors in the registry. This self-service solution makes it easier to withdraw," Johnsen told NRK.

Linda Hofstad Helleland, Norway's minister for culture, shared with NRK that it was about time the church put a new system in place. "I have been very concerned that the Norwegian Church should get an electronic system in place. When someone tried several times to quit without success, it was clear that withdrawal system had to be changed," Helleland said to NRK.

According to a report released by Statistics Norway in May, church attendance has been declining steadily. The report noted a 2.3 percent reduction of attendance in Church activities from 2011 to 2015. The activities included baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals. The statistics for 2015 indicated that there were 3.8 million reported members of the Church, about 73 percent of Norway's population.

Views and News from Norway reported that the Norwegian Church has been trying to break away from the Norwegian government although it is still mostly state-funded.