This is a study of spiritual leadership to examine the spiritual leadership in the Swedish church. I have interview eight priests about their work as a spiritual leader. Some of them worked in the north of Sweden in small communities. Others work I community nearby a bigger city in north of Sweden. They are all leaders of the staff in their church and I find that they had too much administrative work to do and some felt that they didn`t have enough time for the spiritual leadership. They all say that Jesus Christ was their ground and the new testimony. They all thought that a spiritual leader should inspirit and support people, some of them thought about their own church and the people around were like their ships and they will help and look after everybody. Some of them though to be a spiritual leader is a work and when they didn`t work their own family was the most important. Spiritual leadership can be to inspire and support other people.

Inledning: Svenska kyrkan införde 2011 en ny modell för verksamhetsindelning. Syftet var bland annat att skapa en gemensam intern redovisning där kyrkans grundläggande uppgift delas upp på kostnadsställen. Syfte: Uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka vilken styrning som passar för Svenska kyrkan. Förutsättningarna för att möjliggöra en styrning för ökad måluppfyllelse kommer att studeras. Uppsatsen syftar också till att utvärdera användningen av Svenska kyrkans nya verksamhetsindelning och motivera hur organisationens ledning och styrning kan förbättras. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en explorativ utvärderingsstudie och undersöker om den nya verksamhetsindelningen förändrat styrningen. En enkätundersökning skickades ut till alla kyrkoherdar och ordförande i kyrkoråd. Svarsalternativen var en attitydskala mellan 1-5 som analyserades med hjälp av medianer. Resultat: Svenska kyrkan är en organisation som styrs av traditioner och värderingar, men ändå har infört ett traditonellt ekonomistyrsystem. Organisationen har förutsättningar för att styras med hjälp av normer och värderingar så länge avstånden mellan ledning och verksamhet är små. I takt med att organisationen växer och blir mer komplex krävs en annan typ av styrning. Den mest effektiva styrningen för Svenska kyrkan skulle vara en målstyrning där ledningen sätter upp mål med tillhörande mått. Sedan har den anställde möjlighet att själv avgöra på vilket sätt målen ska uppnås. / Introduction: The Swedish church have introduced a new accounting model. The aim was to create a common internal accounting where the Church's fundamental mission is divided into cost centers. Purpose: The paper aims to examine the most effective management for the Swedish Church. The paper also aims to evaluate the use of the Swedish church's new accounting system and motivate how the organization's leadership and management can be improved. Method: The study was an exploratory evaluation study to examine how the new method changed the management. A questionnaire where sent to all vicars and chairmen of the church council. The answers within an attitude scale between 1-5 was analyzed by using medians. Results: The Swedish church is an organization managed by traditions and values but yet has introduced a traditional management control systems. The organization has potential to be controlled using values as long the organization is small. As the organization grows, a different type of control is needed. The most effective control for the Swedish Church would be a target management where the management sets goals and related measurements. Then, the employees has the opportunity to decide how the objectives will be achieved.

<p><p>The purpose of this essay is to examine clergywomen’s experience of discrimination within the Swedish church as to clergywomen’s opinions about their work and their work situation and how they handle contingent discrimination. The method used in this essay is qualitative, and in order to create an understanding of the topic we have used semi structured interviews and text analysis. Three clergywomen have been interviewed and in addition to this we have studied four clergywomen's reports to JämO regarding gender discrimination. The analysis is based upon a social constructivist perspective and Hirdman's gender system theory. The clergywomen that were interviewed experienced that they have unique qualities that male priests lack. Two of the interviewees stated that they have never been discriminated within the Swedish church. However, all three clergywomen described situations where female- and male priests are treated differently. Our conclusions are that clergywomen are using different kind of strategies to handle discrimination on their workplace. Two of the reports to JämO regarding discrimination were about the possibility to get recruited, and the other two were about differences in wages. In three of the cases JämO could not prove discrimination and in one case were rejected in the work tribunal.</p></p>

The purpose of this essay is to examine clergywomen’s experience of discrimination within the Swedish church as to clergywomen’s opinions about their work and their work situation and how they handle contingent discrimination. The method used in this essay is qualitative, and in order to create an understanding of the topic we have used semi structured interviews and text analysis. Three clergywomen have been interviewed and in addition to this we have studied four clergywomen's reports to JämO regarding gender discrimination. The analysis is based upon a social constructivist perspective and Hirdman's gender system theory. The clergywomen that were interviewed experienced that they have unique qualities that male priests lack. Two of the interviewees stated that they have never been discriminated within the Swedish church. However, all three clergywomen described situations where female- and male priests are treated differently. Our conclusions are that clergywomen are using different kind of strategies to handle discrimination on their workplace. Two of the reports to JämO regarding discrimination were about the possibility to get recruited, and the other two were about differences in wages. In three of the cases JämO could not prove discrimination and in one case were rejected in the work tribunal.

The study consists of a survey in which church musicians answered questions about which hymns are played during the various gatherings of Easter in the Church of Sweden. Based on the Swedish Hymn Book, the answers to the questionnaire are presented and a selection of hymns is made for the study. The psalms are analyzed on the basis of a hermeneutic method and in the light of reception theory regarding the origin of the psalms through the narrative of the biblical gospels. The study compares the Bible reading that occurs during Easter gatherings in the Church of Sweden and the hymns that are sung. It describes whether these different texts are common to the psalms and the reading or whether they are independent of each other. Finally, what happens to the Gospel texts when they are converted into a psalm is discussed. What happens is that the whole of the Gospels is included and not just specific pericopes. The psalm does not reflect the feeling of what is happening in the reading of the gospel, but contributes with a completely different feeling. This means that the experience of the gospel narrative through the psalm becomes different from the gospel narrative through reading.

<p>The aim of this paper is to describe and explain how the separation between state and church effects the power relations between state and religious groups and organizations. Former state church, The Swedish church, is in this paper, not included in the definition of religious groups. The reform (“stat-kyrka reformen”) took place between 1995 and year 2000.I’m examining if religious groups had any influence on the reform. My expectation is to give a clearer picture of religious groups and its power position in Swedish politics and society. A process-tracing method is used. I use different theories, theory of power and influence and theory of collective action. The reason for the decision to separate church and state was to handle social changes such as increasing secularism, pluralism and multiculturalism. This paper can however conclude that the state, after the reform, has shown an even greater, less secular, determination to connect with religious groups. I can also conclude that these religious groups had influence on the reform itself, partly because of its power resources and partly because its ability for collective actions.</p>

<p>This thesis deals with questions concerning ongoing constructions of heterosexuality as a norm in the Swedish church. Empirically the study is based partly on interviews with thirteen homo- and bisexual priests, one district visitor and one church politician and partly on some of the church’s own inquiries and documents concerning the question of Christianity and ”deviant” sexuality.</p><p>The aim for this study is to examine how norms for sexuality, coexistence and gender are repeated in the documents created by the Swedish church itself about homosexuality and Christianity and to discern how these norms are present and have sense – are reproduced, challenged and transformed in life stories of Christian homo- and bisexual individuals. To be able to see how the notion of homosexuality as abnormal is reproduced, secured and challenged I have chosen to interpret texts, observations and life stories from a critical discourse perspective. In this theoretical tradition it is central to stress how, or rather to investigate what strategies are used to produce and maintain notions of ”abnormality”.</p><p>One dominating view in the discussions within the church is that homosexuals and heterosexuals have equal value but that partnership cannot be equated with marriage. This understanding is expressed in my examples of formations of heteronormativity within the church.</p><p>In the interview persons’ narratives there are discourses represented that are articulated in the church’s own inquiries but the narratives also express counter discourses. They speak about themselves in relation to, for example, imperative heterosexuality, homosexual ideals, core family ideals, theological way of thinking and dichotomizing understanding of gender. I have identified several ”uses” in the narratives and all of them are contained in an overall Christian homosexual ”us”.</p><p>Instead of viewing themselves as being ”wrong” some of the interview persons have moved the problem to the heteronormativity. Experiences of not being part of the norm have made them strong and willing to struggle and fight for their rights. This position, outside the norm, is by some viewed positively. The homosexuals’ experiences of oppression have led to a desire to liberate the church from homophobia and show ”the true” church, where no one is discriminated.</p><p>Homosexuals are accepted within the church, but only as deviants. This way heterosexuality is being made the superior category. Its meaning and superior position cannot be questioned according to many of the church’s representatives. Still, this is exactly what is happening when homosexuals are increasingly visible to the public and when they challenge the heterosexual norm. This provocation makes the heterosexual norm visible and forces representatives of the norm to deal with it!</p>

In the Church of Sweden, the head of the educational activities is usually not a church, or parish, educator, nor a teacher. One purpose of the 2014 educational reform was to clarify the role and mission of the education officer (församlingspedagog). The roll of the education officer as leader has not been highlighted. The purpose of this present study is to elucidate if some of the education officer’s leadership in the Swedish Church can be called educational leadership and to what extent the school’s definition of educational leadership can be applied in this context. If so, how can educational leadership be understood, conditioned and realized in practice, that is, in the church context. The thesis is based on a qualitative study with interviews of education officers, who are in a leading position of theeducational activities, and their managers. Theoretical starting points have been Ärlestigs and Törnsén’s model for school leaders’ educational leadership. Another starting point is Berg’s model to explore the freedom and limitations of the leadership activities. The education officer’s leadership consists of two parts, one as a manager and one as a leader. The tension between these two is obvious as the role of a manager is clear and the one as leader is unclear. Ärlestigs and Törnsén’s model consists of three parts that together constitute the educational leadership of the leader; to create the conditions for learning and teaching in the role of educational leader, to guide the school’s core processes in the role of educational leader, that is to lead learning and teaching and finally, to link the organization’s results to the daily work of learning and teaching. The result of this study is that the conditions for management are that the educational leader are given the needed conditions to lead and receive support in the work. The conditions for educational leadership are not fully fulfilled, as the leadership role is unclear. There is a need to adjust the terms to better suit the church context. The work and leadership of the education officer needs to be acknowledged, made visible and described in order to be possible to develop.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze how ongoing organizational changes within the Swedisch Church affects its musical activities in parishes. Method: The study is based on interviews and publicated sources. Conclusion: Church musicians as a group are a powerful and vital resource for the Swedish Church.

The aim of this paper is to describe and explain how the separation between state and church effects the power relations between state and religious groups and organizations. Former state church, The Swedish church, is in this paper, not included in the definition of religious groups. The reform (“stat-kyrka reformen”) took place between 1995 and year 2000.I’m examining if religious groups had any influence on the reform. My expectation is to give a clearer picture of religious groups and its power position in Swedish politics and society. A process-tracing method is used. I use different theories, theory of power and influence and theory of collective action. The reason for the decision to separate church and state was to handle social changes such as increasing secularism, pluralism and multiculturalism. This paper can however conclude that the state, after the reform, has shown an even greater, less secular, determination to connect with religious groups. I can also conclude that these religious groups had influence on the reform itself, partly because of its power resources and partly because its ability for collective actions.