Diakon- och prästämbetena i Svenska kyrkan: En studie av likheter och skillnader vad gäller arbetsuppgifter, legitimitet och resurser

Sammanfattning: The Church of Sweden is marginalized in society and the membership of the Church is decreasing, which means that the church's economy is on the decline, but the demands on the Church by its members have not decreased. This is a comparative study that deals with the roles of deacons and priests and their contribution to the Church. The aim is to get an overview of similarities and differences in the office and mission of deacons and priests in the Church of Sweden, based on the experiences of deacon and priest recruiters. In addition, to compare the Swedish Church's financial resources with the needs of its members. A web based survey was used for all deacon and priest recruiters employed in the Church of Sweden, who in March-April 2017 were 24 and of whom 62.5% responded to the survey. This study does not confirm previous research that claims that the mission of priests is unclear and in need of re-professionalization; it does however coincide with previous research that claims that church members consider help to the vulnerable in society to be a top priority for the mission of the Church of Sweden. The conclusion of the survey indicates discrepancies in the relationship between deacons and priest because the governing policy documents of the Church of Sweden on the one hand state that the mission of a deacon is equal to that of a priest, but on the other hand states that priests are a must for the congregation but not deacons. The study shows that the majority of the respondents consider that deacons should be given an equal opportunity to pursue a career within the Church as bishop, which is not possible according to current church polity. The study also shows that the priest’s mission coincides with the demands of governing and policy documents, but that there is a tendency to want to open the Church beyond its traditional context.