Reimagining Ministry Formation and Leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

Abstract

This article examines how ministry formation and ecclesial leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) are being reshaped by 21st-century dynamics such as secularization, pluralism, and post-Christendom cultural change. As increasing numbers of theology students enter formation with limited prior church experience, the gap between academic theological education and pastoral vocation is widening. The article treats formation and leadership as an integrated analytical lens, showing how ministerial identity, vocational resilience, and leadership capacity emerge from shared theological and pedagogical processes. Comparative insights from Sweden, the Church of England, and Roman Catholic formation models sharpen this analysis. The study proposes a theologically grounded, contextually realistic model that links formation, leadership, and innovation in a mutually reinforcing way. Innovation is conceptualized as targeted, incremental development—deepened theological reflection, collaborative learning, and adaptive practices—rather than large-scale structural reform. This approach aims to be realistic and to increase the capacity of future clergy to lead mission-oriented ministry in complex contemporary conditions.

Practical experience and research indicate that Lutheran theology students in Finland today have significantly less exposure to parish life during their formative years than those of previous generations. Finnish university theology strongly emphasizes academic theology’s independence from the churches. It seems a somewhat similar situation prevails in many other European countries, though the structures of formational training vary. In the Finnish context many students in the past were motivated to pursue theological studies by positive early experiences of parish life. Until the 1960s theological education itself also had a clearer orientation towards parish ministry, though the relevance of studies for professional life continues to be acknowledged today. Pastoral formation generally used to be a more natural process with its own dynamic. The situation today is different. For example, there is a perceived tension between the worldview-neutral nature of academic study and the applied university studies that prepare students for ordained ministry. Secular university education does not support priestly spirituality.1 Additionally, in the background are general factors of Western European development such as increasing pluralism, secularization, polarization, and other post-Christian characteristics.2

The situation calls for new thinking regarding both formation and leadership supporting formation. The research report From Studies to Priesthood: Formation, Challenges, and Change (Opinnoista pappeuteen 2024) analyses the current situation and development needs of clerical education in Finland. Its essential conclusion is: “Questions concerning the spiritual life and spirituality of theology students and those preparing for ordained ministry, and the support they receive, are matters that the church must take especially seriously.” (Tervo-Niemelä et al. 2024, p. 533).

Leadership is an important part of developing any work culture. The complex and changing working environment and changes in the mentality and inculturation of theology students and ordinands pose new challenges for leadership in the church. In this context, in seeking a reliable way forward to serve the church’s basic mission, it is important to bring the theological basis into a dialogue with the new situation and the directions under discussion.

This article examines the current state of ministerial formation and ecclesial leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) and explores potential innovative approaches to these areas based on an analysis of the present situation, informed by contemporary Lutheran and ecumenical understandings of priesthood. To address this task, the analysis draws on ecclesiastical documents as its primary sources, alongside research on formation, as well as on ecclesial leadership and its theology, in the following order.

• Summarizes the essential features of the Lutheran theology of ordained ministry, with particular emphasis on priesthood;
• Examines the present configuration of formation practices in Finland, Sweden, and England, and in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches;
• Assesses potential future steps within the Finnish context;
• Explores the theological foundations of leadership; and
• Describes the current ecclesial leadership structures in the ELCF.

The article concludes with a set of reflections.

1. The Lutheran Theology of Ordained Ministry

Lutheran and ecumenical ecclesiology provide the general framework for ordained ministry in the ELCF. All the baptized are priests who are called to discipleship. There is also a special divinely instituted ordained ministry with a mission to serve the proclamation of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments. It is instrumental for the awakening of a justifying faith and its nourishment through the work of the Holy Spirit in word and sacrament. Article 5 of the Augsburg Confession (CA) affirms divinely instituted ministry in this ecclesiological context: “That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted.” CA 7 provides the classical Lutheran definition: “The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught [doctrina evangelii] and the Sacraments are rightly administered.”3

We may therefore conclude that the word, sacraments, and ordained ministry constitute essential elements of the church and its mission within Lutheran theology. These realities serve the shared vocation of the entire people of God. The emphasis on the communal dimension of Lutheran ecclesiology implies that ordained ministry must be interpreted in relation to the apostolicity of the whole church. From this perspective, lay and ordained members participate together synodally in the service of both local and global mission. A good formulation in this respect can be found in the Anglican–Lutheran Porvoo Common Statement (1992), which the ELCF has signed:

…the primary manifestation of apostolic succession is to be found in the apostolic tradition of the Church as a whole… Within the apostolicity of the whole Church is an apostolic succession of the ministry which serves and is a focus of the continuity of the Church in its life in Christ and its faithfulness to the words and acts of Jesus transmitted by the apostles.

(IV A 39–40)4

The ministry of all the faithful and the ordained ministry are complementary.5 Several features distinguish the specific nature of the ordained ministry from a mere blessing or lay office. The ordained ministry is a constitutive part of the Church; it is called to represent Christ personally and visibly; a permanent gift for it is received through ordination; ministry is supra-local and catholic in character; ordination is a prerequisite for exercising this ministry. There are also associated juridical obligations (Pohjola 2014, p. 306; Karttunen 2020, pp. 363–78).

Bishop Matti Repo distinguishes the following dimensions of ecclesial office in the ELCF based on an analysis of its ordination rite: it is (1) a spiritual act of the whole church; (2) a task entrusted to the bishop; (3) an incorporation into the church as a whole; (4) an ordination into participation in the work of God; (5) performed by one authorized by the Church of Christ; (6) accompanied by the vesting of the ordinand with the symbols of office; (7) centred on the laying on of hands and prayer; (8) an ordination prayer that mediates the Holy Spirit; (9) an effective sign; and (10) a sending of the ordained, installed, or blessed person (Repo 2024, pp. 518–37).

Ordination in the ELCF is thus understood as a process comprising call (vocatio), blessing (benedictio), and sending (missio). Through the church’s call, the ordinand receives a new and permanent status and ministry within the church from the Triune God. The office is conferred through ordination, and the ordinand is incorporated into the college of bishops, priests, or deacons. Through the epiclesis, the ordinand receives the gift of the Holy Spirit and a new task and responsibility before God (Pohjola 2014, p. 306).

God is the giver of the call, understood both externally (vocatio externa) and internally (vocatio interna). The decision to ordain lies primarily with the bishop, with the diocesan chapter and the call from the parish. It is not based on the candidate’s inner sense of vocation alone. A tangible position in which to serve is a prerequisite for ordination; candidates are not ordained “in reserve” (Pohjola 2014, pp. 306–7).

The bishop performs the ordination through the proclamation of the word, prayer, and the laying on of hands.6 Ordination is not understood merely as a public confirmation of a call but as an instrumentally and sacramentally effective act in which the ministry is tangibly conferred through blessing. “Sacramentally effective” means that the act is not merely declarative or administrative; rather, it confers the gift of the Holy Spirit for a specific ministry. Its constitutive element is the proclaimed and read Word of God, that is, the sacramental Word of Scripture. This means that the Word of Scripture is effective as the Word of God, bestowing the gift of mercy and other gifts of God, including the grace and empowerment necessary for a particular ministry, based on the promises of Scripture. Certain biblical texts are regarded as fundamental to the divine mandate of the ministry (Matt. 28:18–20; John 15:16; John 20:21–23; Eph. 4:11–13; 1 Tim. 4:12–16). God’s word creates the ministry, the act of ordination, and the service carried out within the ministry. The promises of the word provide content and assurance to the ordination prayers. The bishop prays: “May the Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and sanctify you, so that you may serve the Church of Christ always and everywhere.” (Pohjola 2014, p. 307).

The ELCF understands priestly ordination as lifelong, unrepeatable, and connected with the universal mission of the church of Christ, which is realized always and everywhere. Ordination to the priesthood receives its legitimacy, meaning, and vision from this mission.

The foundation of ordination is the self-giving love of the Triune God. Ordination is an expression of God’s mission in the world. God the Father bestows all God’s gifts in it upon God’s creation; Christ grants participation in his own ministry; and the Holy Spirit sanctifies and equips the baptized for service in the ministry of the church. The ordained ministry is thus understood as participation in the life of the Triune God within the communion (koinonia) of the church. It is understood within the reality of creation in a Christologically and pneumatologically balanced manner in relation to the apostolicity of the whole church. The common priesthood and the ordained ministry work together, complementing one another in the mission of the church (Pohjola 2014, p. 312).

In the ELCF’s liturgical practice, the episcopal and presbyteral ministries are treated as distinct ordained ministries, or ordines, within the church’s divinely instituted ministry. The diaconal ministry is increasingly understood as its own ordained ministry (ordo). The 2003 Handbook therefore speaks of ordination to the ministries of bishop, priest, and deacon. The aim of ordination and the implied ecclesiological vision call for a corresponding formation process.7 Having analysed and unfolded the theological basis of ordination, we next provide an overview of the current practical situation of formation for priestly office and implications for necessary changes.

2. Formation in the Lutheran Churches in Finland and Sweden, and Ecumenically

In the Finnish education system, university studies play a major role in the education of the future priests of the ELCF. Part of the master’s degree entails practical training in the church, and a certain number of theological studies is expected of a Master of Theology to be ordained priest in the ELCF. For several years, a psychological suitability assessment has also been in use. In recent decades the church has developed ordination training in a more formational direction. The church also organizes a postgraduate pastoral qualification degree to synthesize theory and practice.

The aim of the pastoral qualification is that “[a] graduate of the degree programme has a command of the core content of the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions and understands the traditions of the church. They are familiar with the various areas of the church’s activities and can interpret the Christian message in a changing operational environment.” The degree’s largest study elements are the Bible and hermeneutics, and the church’s faith, confession, and ecumenism. It also includes studies in spirituality and worshipping life; diakonia, mission, and global responsibility; pastoral counselling; Christian education; governance and workplace relations; communication and interaction.8

The degree is thus intended to support the development of professionally relevant skills for priests. The instructions for the pastoral qualification were previously somewhat loose, but a personal study plan is now prepared with the diocesan dean soon after the induction period. From the church’s perspective, the degree complements those competencies for which a university master’s degree in theology provides insufficient preparation.9

According to a report prepared by the ELCF Bishops’ Conference and theology students (2025), the relationship between students and the church would benefit from increased dialogue, greater clarity, and more practical engagement. The church should be present in studies from the outset, not only as a body of knowledge but also as a spiritual and communal experience. Supporting vocation, opening pathways to ministry, and establishing clear structures may lower the threshold for the transition from student to priest.10 Although the report is not a scientific study, it contains several worthwhile observations that are broadly consistent with the academic literature on the subject (Cf. for example Tervo-Niemelä et al. 2024; Ojalammi et al. 2024).

The other Nordic Lutheran churches are a natural comparison group when asking how others approach formation. Professor Björn Vikström (2022) has reviewed the training of priests in the Church of Sweden in a 2022 publication (Vi måste nötas mot varandra).11 The review’s background was the development of the church’s societal role in Sweden after it ceased to be a state church in 2000. There have since been no theological faculties with a confessional background, and students do not necessarily have a strong experience of congregational life. The Church of Sweden has already developed a support system for the formation of future priests. Academic studies without a pastoral theological approach are insufficient for a priest.12 The question now concerns the strengths and weaknesses of the current education system and how it can be improved.

The church identifies three primary areas of formation in the pastoral-theological education it provides: (1) knowledge and understanding; (2) skills and competencies; and (3) personal development and spiritual deepening. With respect to knowledge and understanding, this includes studies in the faith, confession, and doctrine of the Church of Sweden; biblical hermeneutics; theological analysis and interpretation of life; and ecumenism and interreligious dialogue. Skills and competencies concern the ability to proclaim the gospel; lead worship and conduct occasional offices; teach diverse groups; and offer spiritual direction. They also include an understanding of the Church of Sweden’s governance and administrative structures. In the area of personal development and spiritual deepening, a future priest must be able to integrate academic studies with the spiritual responsibilities of ordained ministry and their own spiritual life. The capacity to connect faith, doctrine, and lived experience presupposes a rootedness in Christian spirituality, prayer, and worship, as well as social skills and the ability to listen attentively to others.13

Pastoral theological training in the Church of Sweden consists of a basic course which is taken alongside academic studies, and a final pastoral theological year after academic studies. The purpose is to clarify the connection between theory and practice. The candidate’s identity is thus tangibly supported. Training is undertaken with deacons and other church workers. It covers worshipping life, discussions about faith, and moments of personal reflection. Contacts are made with the diocese, parishes, society, and the current level of research.14

Based on this review, it can be said that a comparison of the current formational training in Finland and the other mainline Nordic Lutheran churches shows that the Church of Sweden in particular takes considerable overall responsibility for the spiritual support of future pastors, the formation of pastoral identity, and the development of practical skills. Responsibility is shared between the church’s educational institute and dioceses. This supports the integration of future pastors into the life of local parishes. As in Finland, formation in Sweden is increasingly important, with a growing number of candidates entering ministry with relatively weak previous ties to the church (Vikström 2024).

A weakness of this model, however, is that the dioceses implement this approach to pastoral work and ministry in highly diverse ways. When master’s graduates begin their common final year at the educational institute, their competence levels in different subject areas therefore vary greatly. As a result, some experience the training as a mere repetition of skills already learned; others start almost from scratch (Vikström 2024).

Orthodox churches and several other denominations have also developed structured spiritual formational programmes for their seminary students. For example, those preparing to be Orthodox priests or cantors in Finland combine their academic studies with formation at the Orthodox seminary. The seminary provides the liturgical, homiletic, and other practical applied exercises required for the Master of Theology degree. Its instructors are responsible for supervising these exercises in close cooperation with the university. The seminary also offers its own instruction to familiarize students with the church’s life, spirituality, and traditions.15

The Roman Catholic Church has a developed formation system. Since a comprehensive analysis of its strengths and weaknesses cannot be undertaken here, I will focus briefly on some key aspects that may offer fruitful insights for further discussion, including in an ecumenical context. For example, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has published the Program of Priestly Formation (6th edition 2022). It distinguishes four stages of formation: propaedeutic; discipleship; configuration; and vocational synthesis. The propaedeutic stage entails the laying of the foundation of a priestly life: “a life of prayer, study, fraternity, and appropriate docility to formation” (PPF, 120). Discipleship refers to growing in virtues which support a “life of meditation and contemplation” (PPF 132). Configuration entails the ordinand advancing from philosophical and virtue studies to theology and learning how to “[model] his life on the self-donation of Jesus Christ, Shepherd and Servant, as he prepares more immediately for Holy Orders” (PPF 135). Vocational synthesis entails the stage of integration and transition after finishing seminary education and beginning a life of priestly ministry. A candidate’s primary formator at this stage is typically a priest in a parish. He models the priesthood for the candidate and helps him adjust to parish life (PPF 137).16

The American Catholic bishops have also produced the Guide to Ongoing Formation for Priests (2023). An appendix to this includes a programme for newly ordained priests. Ongoing formation distinguishes four dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral.17 Doubtless Lutherans can also learn much from the experience of Catholics in formation, though Roman Catholics have had their own difficulties in this respect.18

The Church of England has systematically developed priestly formation for a longer period. It is likely that it has influenced the Swedish model, which has adapted its lessons for the Nordic Lutheran context. As the ELCF Bishops’ Conference uses the Church of Sweden as its primary comparison group among the Nordic Lutheran churches, and the Church of England among its ecumenical sister churches, this article focuses on these churches.

In 2024 the Church of England House of Bishops approved the formation criteria for ordained ministry under seven headings: A. Christian faith, tradition and life; B. mission, evangelism and discipleship; C. spirituality and worship; D. relationships; E. personality and character; F. leadership, collaboration and community; G. vocation and ministry within the Church of England. They are organized in disposition-led clusters emphasizing the primacy and inseparability of character from understanding and skills. A clear difference between the Nordic Lutherans and this Anglican guideline in particular is the emphasis on “character”: “knowledge, understanding and skills are secondary to Christ-like character”.19 This could well be said in the Finnish context as well, as Finnish Luther research since Tuomo Mannermaa’s book In ipsa fide Christus adest (1979) has underlined the presence of Christ in faith as a key to understanding Martin Luther’s theology.

While Catholics underline “ongoing formation”, the Church of England criteria also emphasize ongoing learning among priests, especially regarding knowledge and understanding. The formation criteria are a vocational and aspirational tool rather than rigorous standards.20 In the Finnish educational model, the lifelong “path” of Christian education is likewise underlined. This can also be applied to priestly formation (Reinikainen et al. 2021).

In the Church of England, the “pathway” to ordination starts in the shared discernment process in the candidate’s diocese. If the person is recommended for ordination training, they train in one of three pathways through a theological education institution: (1) an immersive community: the residential pathway; (2) learning by doing: the full-time non-residential pathway; and (3) studying while working: the part-time pathway. Having completed ordination training, the candidate is ready to be ordained deacon. A curacy follows, and after a period of usually a year, ordination as priest. However, some decide to become distinctive deacons instead.21

3. Next Steps Towards a New Model for Formation in the ELCF?

The general international tendency in developing pastoral formation seems clear. In the Nordic Lutheran churches, where state universities and faculties have traditionally played the key role in educating future priests, there is an obvious need to invest more in the development of the church’s own training systems to give additional value to the perspective of formation. The background to this is a holistic understanding of a priest’s work and the personal growth it presupposes.

For example, the 2025 report of the Bishops’ Conference of the ELCF proposes several adjustments to the ongoing development of the current formational model. There is a common assumption that moving towards a system in which ministerial formation becomes more structured prior to ordination requires resources the church currently lacks. It would at least necessitate a reallocation of resources from other areas of ecclesial work to formation. The proposed reforms therefore primarily aim to refine the existing system rather than to replace it. They focus both on the pre-ordination phase, including the period during academic studies, and on the post-ordination phase of early ministerial practice.

The report presents proposals for measures to support the development of the professional and spiritual identity of theology students aiming to become priests, as well as of priests at the beginning of their careers. It includes an evaluation of current processes related to early career stages, as well as the pastoral qualification system.22

From the perspective of supporting training, the report suggests a more systematic plan for meetings of church representatives with students. It pays particular attention to spirituality in these contexts. It develops a process of professional growth and encounters instead of the current aptitude assessment. Issues of occupational wellbeing are more broadly integrated into pastoral training. For those theology students who intend to become priests, elective studies are recommended. Mentoring and induction are further developed for young priests. Additional training and support for the continuous renewal of skills should be offered for spiritually and emotionally demanding work tasks. With the parishes the dioceses provide resources for nurturing spiritual life through retreats, spiritual direction, and so on. It is vital that parishes strengthen a work culture that values qualitative factors like walking alongside people and building community.23

The conclusion is that no fundamentally new model of formation is likely to emerge—or would even be meaningful to propose—in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland soon. A realistic approach is to further develop the existing model by integrating elements that support spiritual growth and well-being.

In developing the formation process, it is vital to pay attention also to the leadership style and processes that will support this change. Strategic leadership and support for continuous learning are required when encountering change. Compared with other development processes, the motivation here appears easier to discover because the task is rooted in the church’s traditional core identity and mission. These themes tend generally to entail a greater shared understanding than many other issues. Yet success here also presupposes that the leader can dialogically promote a vision that sufficiently covers various theological, ecclesiological, and missional understandings and traditions.24 We therefore now also analyse the theological grounding of leadership.

4. The Theological Basis of Leadership in the Lutheran Tradition

We have already referred to the classical definition of the church in the Lutheran tradition in Article 7 of the Augsburg Confession: “The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught, and the Sacraments are rightly administered.” Continuity is not less important from the perspective of unity than formation and leadership: “And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.” A specific ordained ministry is instituted to carry out this mission within the congregation or parish (CA 5).25 Accordingly, bringing people to Christ is the theological basis of leadership in the congregation in general.26

As the ordained person has received the gift of the Holy Spirit and is called to represent and follow Christ the Servant, service is also characteristic of leadership in the church. This is already implied in the term “ministry”. The verb ministrare in Latin means “to serve”. Yet from the professional leadership perspective, a leader’s task is also to help workers undertake their work as well as possible, not to promote personal gain. This resonates with the theological framework. For example, CA 28 states: “Peter, 1 Pet. 5, 3, forbids bishops to be lords, and to rule over the churches.”27

Ordained ministry thus means service to the church that combines theology and an ethos of good leadership. Being a disciple of Christ and a minister means being there for others (Bonhoeffer)—being Christlike. This theological basis for leadership as service can also be formulated from the Church of England’s formation criteria: “Ordained ministers seek to model their servant leadership on the person of Christ.” (Asikainen 2020, pp. 174, 235). This is in accordance with the contemporary view of leadership’s nature as service with certain ethical standards.28

Pastoral leadership is a core element of servant leadership, supporting the formation of priests and other church workers. It nurtures the spirituality of the workplace community. Spiritual life sustains Christian values and strengthens commitment to work through vocation. It influences both the work community’s wellbeing and its workers’ endurance. A deficit in leadership tends to be filled by other means if the leader does not assume the responsibility that belongs to them. The natural presence of devotional life in connection with meetings, for example, serves as a reminder of the parish’s mission.29

The Lutheran confession’s ecclesiological vision lays the foundation of the church’s tangible mission. It focuses principally on the proclamation of the “right” or “pure” (Lat. pure) gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. Another focus is the administration of the sacraments. The congregation is sent out from the Sunday service to live as Christians in daily life.

Based on this theological understanding, the ELCF’s Church Law (1:2) defines the church’s core functions: “In accordance with its confession, the Church proclaims the word of God and administers the sacraments and otherwise engages in activities seeking the dissemination of the Christian message and the realization of neighbourly love.”30 The basic identity functions can thus be posited in a Lutheran way and ecumenically as follows: worshipping life (leiturgia); unity (koinonia); witness (martyria); and service (diakonia). Naturally, these core theological principles and functions are interpreted contextually. This presupposes an ability for inculturation, to interpret the message for the congregation in a way that corresponds to its makeup.

Leadership promotes the carrying out of these functions as CA 5 implies: “That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted.” As the ELCF is an episcopal church, leadership in this mission belongs essentially to bishops: “The bishop is responsible for leading the governance and operations of the diocese and for supervising parishes and priests” (Church Law 4:3).31 The bishop’s leadership focuses on the diocesan level, vicars and other parish priests function locally, and a dean functions to some extent in a deanery. The highest governing organ, the General Synod, has its legal competence, and the National Church Council supports the synod’s decision-making process. The National Church Council is also an advocacy organ and the coordinator of international and ecumenical relations with the Archbishop and the Bishops’ Conference.

At the church’s different levels, there are also lay professionals and their specific leadership tasks that are ultimately intended to support the basic mission and current strategic aims.

5. Current Trends in Ecclesial Leadership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

A special area of interest when seeking ways to develop leadership in parish life is that younger members of the clergy especially are experiencing difficulties in coping with the demands of their work (Tervo-Niemelä and Huotari 2024, p. 449). Studies show that young priests are strongly internally motivated in their work. A contributing factor may be the increasing difficulty of obtaining priestly ordination, especially since 2009. Young priests are therefore a particularly select group. However, they also consider faith to be somewhat less important than older priests, and they pray and read the Bible less frequently (Tervo-Niemelä and Huotari 2024, p. 454). This presents a clear challenge to leadership: how can the existing motivation be used while deepening the spiritual and theological approach that affords resilience and helps in coping with the demands of work and prioritizing the plethora of alternatives in the light of the church’s basic mission?

A study by Tervo-Niemelä and Huotari (2024) shows that among those who have left their work as priests in the ELCF the main workplace issues are leadership problems. Data were collected using a Webropol questionnaire administered in June 2022. Respondents were reached through Facebook groups for priests. The questionnaire comprised a 27-item scale together with several open-ended questions. Poor leadership within the church emerged as a particularly salient issue in the responses of those priests who had left or were considering leaving ministry. Several respondents identified it as the primary source of disappointment. Many described experiences in which leadership skills or competencies were inadequate, or where leaders engaged in inappropriate behaviour. Priests who had been ordained only recently also reported negative experiences of leadership. Those who found leadership problems especially disturbing in parish work were slightly more likely to be women and, more markedly, individuals belonging primarily to Generation X, especially those aged between 50 and 59 (Tervo-Niemelä and Huotari 2024, pp. 460, 464, 471).

In addition to leadership problems, issues concerning priests’ working hours and the reconciliation of work and personal life were push factors for those priests who had left their work in the church. Many respondents also expressed disappointment with the church. Research has further indicated that a liberal theological orientation is associated with a greater willingness to move from church ministry into other roles. A specific theological, ecclesiological, and spiritual challenge is that many priests in the ELCF tend to see the church more as an institution than as a spiritual community or communion.32 This relates to formational challenges that in turn have an impact on leadership issues.

Finding new ways also presupposes developing the strategic leadership culture in a direction that supports innovative thinking. The ELCF’s current strategy challenges the church to “…carry out experiments and strengthen our experimentation culture. [… W]e are not afraid of failures. Experiments are also supported financially.”33 If the purpose of strategic work is to “guide workers to reflect on the meaningfulness of their own work as part of a larger whole” (Kaira 2019, p. 252), supporting formation in a mission-driven communion-ecclesiological framework can also support strategic thinking and leadership. This may nurture a renewal that not only protects old structures but is communicatively and contextually open to new ways, yet loyal to the apostolic identity and message.

An important aspect of leadership formation is drawing on exemplary models and established practices. This requires experienced priests with diverse skills and competencies who can serve as mentors. Equally important are inspiring examples of priests and ecclesial leaders who combine faithfulness to tradition with the ability to engage contemporary challenges and to serve people in an authentic manner that recognizes and values their individual gifts and vocations. In this way, they foster a constructive integration of personhood and community within the life and mission of the Church.

6. Conclusions

We may conclude that the objective theological foundation of the priesthood as an ordained ministry is relatively clear. Nevertheless, a notable gap persists between theological ideals and contemporary ecclesial reality. This article’s contextual focus has been particularly on the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. There is an evident need to develop formation for the priestly ministry. Theologically, this requires a solid anchoring in communion ecclesiology that supports the church’s apostolic mission. The gift of the Holy Spirit bestowed at ordination is intended to serve the church as a communion. Collaboration among the people of God is essential from both a theological perspective and in the light of diminishing resources. This in turn presupposes not only theoretical, theological, and professional competencies but also spiritual and personal maturity, along with social and cooperative skills.34 A shared vision of innovative and strategically oriented formational training, along with its effective implementation, is essential.

The academic foundation of priestly education is generally quite strong, as clergy in the Nordic Lutheran churches typically hold a master’s degree in theology. However, the primary mission of secular universities and faculties is not to foster spiritual or pastoral growth. Such development presupposes participation in the life of the church as a spiritual community. Depending on the ecclesial context, churches seek to nurture future priests and pastors holistically.

The Roman Catholic tradition has classically articulated several stages of formation:

• a propaedeutic period dedicated to ecclesial orientation, communal prayer, and basic study;
• spiritual growth in discipleship through practices of meditation and contemplation;
• integration of theological knowledge, personal character formation, and life in Christ; and
• vocational synthesis, supporting the transition to ordained ministry and its practical demands.

In addition to these stages, future clergy require support in areas such as wellbeing, pastoral resilience, and ongoing learning and formation throughout their ministry.

Another important question, which can only be briefly addressed here, is whether the Church sufficiently reflects on societal developments and their implications for its traditional forms of ministry, and whether it strategically adapts pastoral practice in response to these changes. The answer must be both theological and practical in a profound and concrete sense.

Within a communion-ecclesiological framework, leadership understood as service advances what the Lutheran tradition characterizes as the “proclamation of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments” (CA 7). The 2025 report of the ELCF Bishops’ Conference offers several proposals to strengthen the formation of priests for this task. A more systematic structure for student engagement is required, with particular emphasis on cultivating spirituality, to enhance the interplay between academic theological studies and church-based formation. Professional development and formational encounters must likewise be refined. Occupational wellbeing issues must be more comprehensively integrated into pastoral training. Furthermore, mentoring and induction practices for newly ordained priests must be developed, underscoring the need for the continuous renewal of ministerial skills throughout one’s vocation.

An alternative that the Bishops’ Conference report does not consider is that the practical applied exercises included in the Master of Theology degree might be organized by the ELCF. These exercises, with additional learning by doing, could be integrated into a mentored parish training period. In many cases practical exercises are already supervised by ELCF priests. With some additional training for mentors, it might well be possible to maintain academic standards while adding practical value, as is the case with Orthodox priests in Finland. The formational character of these exercises and practical interaction with church workers could thus be further enhanced.

Among priests who decide to leave the church’s employment, key push factors include challenges related to leadership, difficulties in balancing professional and personal life, and disappointment with the church. Research further suggests that a liberal theological orientation is correlated with a greater readiness to transition from ordained ministry to other professional roles. Moreover, a significant number of respondents perceive the church primarily as an institution rather than as a spiritual community. These findings point to a substantial need for formation and spiritually grounded leadership. Such leadership should also encourage innovative and mission-oriented thinking, which in turn may foster more strategic approaches to ecclesial leadership and the church’s long-term vitality. Finally, it is important to note that ministerial formation alone cannot provide an adequate response to these challenges. It should instead be addressed in relation to broader structural, organizational, and workplace-related factors that likewise demand sustained attention.