Kyrkoherdens förändrade funktion : En studie om kyrkoherdefunktionen utifrån kyrkomötesprotokoll från det att relationsförändringarna kyrka – stat började utredas fram till 2020-talet

Sammanfattning: The decision to investigate the relations between the Church of Sweden and the Swedish state was taken in 1956 and the decision was built on the law of religious freedom from 1951. The historical close relation needs to be revised. That affects the vicar’s duty and tasks in three areas: Education, leadership and administration and also pastoral care and church discipline.  The purpose of the essay is to investigate how the vicar's leadership and duties have changed in relation to the change in the community, with a focus on the relationship between the Church of Sweden and the Swedish state. It is examined in records of the Swedish General Synod and the social changes is the following problem definition defined in relation to the three areas that Tegborg has formulated in his book: Kyrkoherden – ämbetsmannen 1809-1930. Ett drama i tre akter, according to the vicar’s duty.  ●       In what way has the vicar´s duty been affected in the area of education during the period between 1956-2021? ●       In what way has the vicar´s duty been affected in the area of leadership and administration during the period between 1956-2021? ●       In what way has the vicar´s duty been affected in the area of pastoral care and church discipline during the period between 1956-2021? These areas are analysed by four indicators to point out the changing process: The official position of the religion in the society, the development within the Church of Sweden, the religious activity and also religion and culture. The method that is used is content analysis, where records of the Swedish General Synod are analysed as primary sources during the period of 1956-2021. Also secondary sources are used to analyse the vicars duty and tasks during the period when the relation between the church of Sweden church and the Swedish state was examined and also what has happened to the vicar´s duty after the relation has changed.  From the reformation the Swedish church and the Swedish state were nearly connected but it changed successively during the 19´th century and the first step is Kommunallagsreformen 1862. During the period 1956-2021, by studying records of the Swedish General Synod and the decision taken haven resulted in a development in which it is obvious that the vicar’s duties are more less the teacher of the congregation and official. Instead, the vicar is a leader that have responsibility for goalkeeping, questions about the organisations and the responsibility of the employees. The vicar´s duty in relation to the society, the Swedish National Church, the internal activity and the culture is rejected more and more during the period to build relations with different partners. The relation to the society builds on a dialogue where the vicar is not the obvious authority neither external or internal as in the middle of the 20´s century. But at the same time their expectations of the Swedish church are to be a part of the civil society.