--- title: Equmeniakyrkan halved its reported membership after new personal consent requirement url: https://www.faithfulnews.com/en/equmeniakyrkan-halved-its-reported-membership-after-new-personal-consent-requirement published: 2026-10-16T21:50:02+00:00 language: en section: World Church source: https://sandaren.se/nyheter/2026/10/14/nya-bidragskrav-mer-an-halverade-equmeniakyrkans-redovisade-antal/ organizations: Equmeniakyrkan, MUCF publisher: FaithfulNews --- # Equmeniakyrkan halved its reported membership after new personal consent requirement Equmeniakyrkan halved its reported membership after new personal consent requirement. From 96 460 to 45 254 persons the support basis of Equmeniakyrkan decreased sharply when the requirement for personal consents was introduced. According to Victoria Gejrot Holst the loss concerns difficulties to report persons already present in the operation, with consequences for the support to the congregations. Equmeniakyrkan's congregations now must collect consents from members and participants before the next state grant application. The work has become a comprehensive administrative task according to Victoria Gejrot Holst church secretary of Equmeniakyrkan., We warned about this all the time. This is a huge administrative burden to place on each congregation and association. Authority statistics show that Equmeniakyrkan reported 96 460 persons for 2023 and 45 254 for 2024 the first year reported under the new rules. In the grant system these persons are called served. The concept includes both members and others who regularly take part in the congregations' activities. Yet according to Victoria Gejrot Holst the decline does not reflect a corresponding change in the church's operation., It is not about member loss or served loss but about not being able to report or sometimes not wanting to report. The change means that each person must confirm that they are counted in the association's grant application. Being a congregation member or regularly singing in a choir is not enough by itself. Victoria Gejrot Holst emphasizes that congregations previously counted participants as well. The new element is the requirement for a personal consent., If you count everyone in the choir standing there and singing you know that there are fifty persons. But if everyone must sign a paper where they state name address birth date and approve this, here we have not reached the end. Some congregations have not reported any consents at all she says. In others the collection has been carried out but not all participants have joined. Some miss to answer some are hesitant to hand over their personal data. She sees a reasonable purpose behind the state's requirement: the grants must be based on people who actually belong to or take part in the organisations. Yet she argues that the system disadvantages the way free churches organise membership. For associations that charge a membership fee the payment can serve as a confirmation. Equmeniakyrkan instead needs to collect consents separately. Solving the problem by introducing a membership fee is not on the agenda., We are not prepared to introduce a membership fee to make a quick solution. It goes against how we think the church should function. She also opposes the idea that congregation membership would need annual confirmation. For the church belonging is more than an administrative matter., It becomes a theological question not an administrative question. Therefore Equmeniakyrkan asks for the consent to be counted in the grant basis rather than after a renewed confirmation of membership. Less room for congregation support The state organisational grant is used according to Victoria Gejrot Holst to support that is distributed to the congregations. Money can for example contribute to congregation plantings and services in local development initiatives. When fewer persons can be reported the possibility to give such support is affected., It harms the congregations' possibility to receive support directly. How much each consent contributes varies because the support is distributed proportionally to the state grant pot and the associations' reported numbers. At the same time the collection requires work from both employees and volunteers. Consents can be given in several ways even orally but someone must document and compile them. Victoria Gejrot Holst says that she understands the frustration in the congregations., It is an administrative burden that we place on them. It is not possible to avoid. But we have not found any other way. Equmeniakyrkan is in ongoing dialogue with the Agency for Youth and Civil Society Affairs MUCF about the possibility to simplify the work. Risk of giving a misleading picture The latest reporting concerning 2025 shows according to Victoria Gejrot Holst a clear increase. The congregations have become better at collecting consents and more have understood why they are needed. Now the collection concerns 2026. Consents must be given no later than 31 December to refer to that year's participation. She also wants to address the concern that personal data are handed over to the state. The association only submits the aggregated number. The documents are needed for the auditors to check for example that the same person is not counted twice. For Victoria Gejrot Holst the work is also about which picture the state gets of Equmeniakyrkan's scope. An incomplete grant basis risks according to her making the church appear smaller on paper than in reality., As a civil society actor we think it matters whether we report to the authorities that we are 45 000 persons or 100 000 persons. 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