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Thank you for an interesting poster, Matleena! I was just wondering whether you have been able to find a link between an individual’s interest in (licenced) lay preaching and his pursuit of upward social mobility.
Thank you, Johanna, that’s a great question! There are some signs of this kind of pursuit, but it’s somewhat hidden between the lines. In the application letters, applicants tended to present themselves as humble servants of the Church and/or God, who did not seek permission to preach for their own benefit. However, becoming a licensed lay preacher could have some personal perks as well. Licensed lay preachers were meant to offer part-time assistance to pastors, but if a pastor was f. ex. sick or old, licensed lay preachers could – and would – take more of his responsibilities. Especially in some of the more remote regions, these men could become almost pastor-like figures who would preach and hold service (without Holy Communion) whenever the pastor wasn’t around to do it. It is, however, hard to say how permission to preach applicants themselves envisioned their life as licensed lay preachers. Some applicants knew that they would work in a congregation where they would have to preach on a monthly, if not on a weekly basis. Did they apply because they wanted to become prominent religious figures in their local community? That could have been one motive, but as I said, it’s not something they would say out loud. It’s worth noting that many of the permission to preach applicants were also active f. ex. in municipal politics and different associations. This makes me think that for some, having permission to preach could have been yet another form to express societal activity and a way of strengthening one’s status in the community. Becoming a licensed lay preacher had some financial benefits as well, but they were usually modest since, for most of the preachers, preaching was only a part-time job.
Thanks for your reply! This is very fascinating especially if one thinks of those individuals, who came from ambiguous backgroundsm i.e. who did not really belong to any of the old four estates.
Matleena, thank you for your great poster. Do you know if there were licenced lay preachers in other countries? Where did the idea come to the Finnish church law?
Pirjo Markkola
10.3.2021 09:29
Hi Pirjo, thank you for these questions!
I’d say that there are three main reasons why licensed lay preachers become part of the Finnish church law of 1869. The first reason is tradition. The basic idea of permission to preach had already appeared in the previous church law, which dated from 1686. However, it was used mainly to prepare theology students for the ministry. Students would assist pastors in their work. They could also work as private preachers or tutors in noble houses (for further information, see Hans Cnattingius, 1952). This concept of assisting theology students was maintained in the church law of 1869, but these future pastors are not part of my research. Instead, I’m interested in laymen without formal theological education who applied for permission to preach. The second reason why licensed lay preachers became part of the church law is the Lutheran Church’s larger democratization process. In the church law of 1869, laymen were given more decision-making power at all levels of administration. The idea was to get people more involved in church life. This new kind of inclusiveness was reflected in the lay sermon as well. The third factor is the impact of domestic revival movements. The Laestadians, the Prayer movement, the Awakened, and the evangelicals had all spread the gospel with the help of lay preachers. By the latter half of the 19th century, these movements (or at least most of them) had grown close to the Lutheran Church and shaped it from within.
Except for Sweden and Norway, I haven’t been able to find licensed lay preachers in other countries. There are, of course, lay preachers who underwent some sort of training and/or examination to better represent their religious community, be that community a church or a revival movement. However, this type of system where the country’s majority church tries to control and guide aspiring lay preachers by licensing them seems to be more of a Nordic phenomenon. (If anybody reading this answer has a different understanding, please let me know!)
Matleena Sopanen
12.3.2021 13:53