To be a priest means working with ‘life’ as your focus. It is a varied and engaging role. The rhythm of the weekly services is the beating pulse of parish life but, in addition, the priest is called to minister to people at the different critical stages of their lives through services such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and funeral services.
Program director: Åke Viberg, ake.viberg@ehs.se
Study director: Mark Sluys mark.sluys@ehs.se
More information in Swedish is available here
The Church is constantly looking for new opportunities to share the gospel in both word and action and the priests’ pastoral role has been developed through various form of chaplaincy, in prisons, hospitals, with the police and in society. These are some of the ways that priests offer pastoral care beyond the boundaries of a local parish congregation.
Working as a priest is more than just a profession – it is a vocation that requires a genuine faith commitment with serious implications for how the priest lives her or his life. Few roles require such broad competence. Therefore, a good priest training must contain both breadth and depth, both theoretical acuteness and anchoring in practical reality. Most of the teachers who teach at THS have experience of working in a congregation and some are currently priests in the Church of Sweden.
Those seeking to become a priest in the Church of Sweden require 255 higher education credits, which involves the completion of both a bachelor’s and magister degree. As part of their training students also complete a course at the Church of Sweden’s educational institute in Uppsala. Candidates must also be accredited as priests by the Church of Sweden. For help and guidance during the study period, the student is supported by his or her diocese. There is also a Swedish Church theology group at THS with a chaplain who is a priest in the Church of Sweden. Read more about how to train as a priest on the Church of Sweden’s website.
Why should I take this program?
In the theological program with a focus on training as a priest in the Church of Sweden, students receive a theological degree which qualifies them to work as a priest in the Church of Sweden.