Orientation Lutheran Leader Bishop Risto Soramies Headquarters Helsinki | Theology Confessional Lutheran Region Finland Origin 16 March 2013 | |
The Mission Diocese, officially the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, (Finnish: Suomen evankelisluterilainen lähetyshiippakunta, Swedish: Evangelisk-lutherska missionsstiftet i Finland) is a Lutheran diocese in Finland. It reunites theological conservatives within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.
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The diocese was founded in March 2013. Its first bishop, Risto Soramies was consecrated on 4 May 2013.
Background
The Mission Diocese was founded by the 22 congregations of the Finnish Luther Foundation and three other Lutheran congregations in 2013. Before this the Luther Foundation had been part of the Swedish Mission Province. Bishop Matti Väisänen had been ordained in 2010 in order to serve the congregations in Finland.
One of the main reasons why the Mission Diocese was founded was the liberalization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. According to the Mission Diocese the ELCF had in many ways distanced itself from its doctrinal foundation, the Bible and the Lutheran Book of Concord.
Doctrine
The Mission Diocese holds that "all teaching, practice and life should be tested, executed and guided by the word of God." The Diocese also recognizes the Book of Concord as an accurate teaching of Biblical doctrine.
Congregations
As of 2015 the Mission Diocese has 33 organised congregations. In addition to this mass is celebrated on four other locations. Each congregation is part of one of the seven districts.
International Contacts
The Mission Diocese co-operates with the Mission Province of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway and the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany. In December 2014 Soramies consecrated Robert Kaumba as bishop of the Lutheran Evangelical Church in Africa—Zambia Diocese.
Since 2015 the Mission Diocese has church fellowship with the Mission Province of Sweden and the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Norway.