129 motions for this year’s General Synod

The General Synod is the highest national-level body of the Church of Sweden, and its 251 members are elected by church members. Magnus Aronson/Ikon

When the motion submission period closed at 4 pm on 30 July, a total of 129 motions had been submitted. The motions received cover a wide range of topics, including worship, the democratic structure of the church, digital membership, cultural heritage, ecumenism and international relations.

Several motions relate in various ways to the Central Board’s written communication Hållbarhet i Svenska kyrkans skogsbruk (Sustainability in the Church of Sweden’s forestry).

“The number of motions is somewhat higher than usual this year,” says August Hermansson, General Synod coordinator. “This is probably mainly due to the motions concerning church forestry, but may also have to do with the fact that this is the last year of the term of office and last year’s General Synod was thematic, with limited rights to submit motions.”

All motions and written communications to the General Synod can be found here (Swedish).

Information about the General Synod can be found here (Swedish).

This year’s General Synod will meet from 30 September to 3 October and from 17 to 19 November. During the first session, members and bishops will meet to engage in committee work in the University Main Building in Uppsala. The second session, consisting of debate and decisions, will take place at the Uppsala Konsert & Kongress venue in November, and can be watched live on the General Synod website.

The November session will be the last occasion on which the current General Synod will meet. Immediately after the end of this year’s General Synod, the newly elected General Synod for the 2026–2029 term of office will meet to elect a new Central Board for the next four years.