What are Sweden's church elections and how do they work?

"The Lutheran Church of Sweden retains a special status in the country, even if church and state were officially separated in 2000. Nevertheless, it's Europe's largest Lutheran denomination, and worldwide only Ethiopia and Tazmania have larger Lutheran church bodies. Headquarted in Uppsala and led by Antje Jackelen, Sweden's first female archbishop, its main roles are offering church services including weddings, baptisms and funerals, but also offering support to members of its congregations and even aid overseas."

"The contenders in the election are sometimes linked to political parties, with the Social Democrats currently the largest represented group and the Centre Party and Sweden Democrats also putting forward candidates. Some other groups are linked to certain political parties, such as the Left in the Swedish Church, the Green Party in the Swedish Church, and the Free Liberals in the Swedish Church."

"Other groups without any political party ties also field candidates, including the Non-partisans in Church of Sweden (Posk), which has been the second largest group since the 2017 election, and Borgerlig kristen samverkan, a right-wing group combining the former Christian Democrats in the Swedish Church and right-wing group Borgerligt alternativ, which is running for the first time in 2025. One of the big questions is how church funds should be spent, but there are also debates on how the Church should be run. For example, the Left want to devote more funds to the Church's social work supporting vulnerable parishioners, the Sweden Democrats are opposed to wind farms on land owned by the church and some parties have also taken a clear stance on whether priests should be obliged to carry out marriages for same-sex couples."

Sweden holds a Church Election on September 21 to choose leadership and influence policies within the Lutheran Church of Sweden. The Church retains a special status despite formal separation from the state in 2000 and remains Europe’s largest Lutheran denomination. The archbishopric is based in Uppsala and led by Antje Jackelen. Candidates often have links to national political parties, while several non-party groups also compete. Key campaign issues include allocation of church funds, social work priorities, land use such as wind farms, and whether priests must perform same-sex marriages.

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