Covenant News

Palmberg Greets Delegates of Swedish Mission Church

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN (June 6, 2003) - Glenn R. Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), and wife Sharon were honored guests during the recent 125th annual meeting of the Swedish Mission Church (known as Svenska Missionskyrkan) in Stockholm.

Palmberg attended the four-day meeting May 29 through June 1 and preached at the well-known Immanuelskyrka in Stockholm during his visit. He gave a greeting during the Swedish Mission Church annual meeting and presented the denomination's president, Krister Andersson, with a stole identical to those that will be given to ordinands at the Annual Meeting of the ECC later this month. (Accompanying photo shows Palmberg, third from left, among a group of honored international guests in Stockholm.)

There were numerous guests to the Swedish Mission Church annual meeting, said Palmberg, including representatives from the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches (IFFEC) and from other denominations that are prominent in Sweden, Finland and other regional countries. Palmberg added that the meetings were held in a variety of settings last weekend with the tenor of worship services as varied as each site.

On Thursday, May 29, the annual meeting began with a youth-oriented worship service in a large Pentecostal church. On May 30, an orchestra hall venue was rented for a music-filled, three and a half hour 125th anniversary (invitation only) celebration.

Palmberg says he was most moved by the Swedish denomination's ordination service, which was held at the local Pentecostal church last Saturday evening (May 31). The ordination preacher was the head of a Congo church denomination that had been started by the Swedish Mission Church.

After preaching Sunday morning with the assistance of an interpreter, Palmberg attended the Sunday afternoon closing worship service at a local open-air band shell. Palmberg noted that the Sunday events included a fun run that raised money for a mission in India and a rousing performance by a gospel choir.

Palmberg said his discussions with Swedish church administrators often turned to issues of church planting and discipleship as the Swedish churches have struggled with low numbers. He learned that the Willow Creek Association and pastor Bill Hybels have given the Swedish church materials and insights that have been valuable and that some Swedish congregations have tried to integrate the Alpha discipleship program into their curricula, although it hasn't generated the interest that it has in England and the United States.

A notable business session item during the conference centered around changing the name of the church denomination, which had been previously known as the Swedish Mission Covenant Church. Administrators explained that the word "Covenant" has been used in so many non-church contexts in Sweden that it was causing some confusion, leading the denomination to exclude the word from its formal moniker.

Another discussion item concerned the ordination of active homosexual pastors in the denomination. Delegates voted in 2002 not to ordain pastors who are active homosexuals. Delegates overwhelmingly voted to uphold that decision after the issue was debated during this year's business meeting. "I was impressed with the congenial way they discussed the issue despite the obvious differences of view," Palmberg said.

Palmberg says he also was impressed that the Swedish Mission Church knew about what was happening in the ECC. He was invited into the pastor's study at the Immanuelskyrka and the Immanuel pastor had the ECC web site, www.covchurch.org, on his Internet favorites list. To learn more about the Swedish Mission Church and its ministries, visit its web site at www.missionskyrkan.se.

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