Nordic Seminary – What Comes Next?

The Nordic Seminary is designed as a "religious education for all" for people seeking a deepening of their Christian thinking and living; its modules can also be studied with a view toward pursuing the priesthood. We began in May 2024 in Järna, and this first phase of the Nordic Seminary will conclude at the end of November 2025.

Those who wish to continue their studies with the goal of entering priesthood within a congregation of The Christian Community should first take time to clarify whether they wish to move forward with this path. Attention should also be given to the social environment: Does the principle of placement (not deciding independently where one will work) align with my life in partnership and family? As a next step, a request can be made to the leader team of the Nordic Seminary to enter the next phase of the training, which will be conducted by the Hamburg Seminary beginning in December 2025. If the leader team accepts this request, an invitation to the next phase of training will follow.

Initially, three multi-day courses are planned at the Hamburg Seminary premises from December 2025 to the end of the first half of 2026. Responsibility for the courses will lie with the Hamburg seminary leaders, supported by Nordic team colleagues. We also plan to invite one member of the Circle of Seven to these meetings. Here are the dates:

Sunday, December 14, 2025, 4:00 PM to Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 1:00 PM
Sunday, January 25, 2026, 4:00 PM to Wednesday, January 28, 2026, 1:00 PM
Sunday, April 19, 2026, 4:00 PM to Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1:00 PM
In addition, Zoom meetings will be set up with the seminary team for feedback, learning support, and organizational questions.

Next Steps: Each summer, there will be a meeting of the Circle of Seven with candidates who have been recommended by the seminaries in Stuttgart, Toronto, and Hamburg for a preparatory course for ordination. This preparatory course begins each fall and leads to ordination in the following spring.

For students coming from the Nordic Seminary, this means: The meeting with the Circle of Seven could take place in the summer of 2026. Those invited by the Circle of Seven to the preparatory course at the end of this meeting would be preparing for ordination in February or March 2027.

The team: Siri Schultze-Florey, Lars Karlsson, Fritjof Winkelmann, Ulrich Meier, Christian Scheffler

2024/2025

I. Baptism

Week 1, 13th -17th of May 2024
Lecturers: Christian Scheffler, Fritjof Winkelmann, Lars Åke Karlsson, Siri Schultze-Florey

Weekend 1, 21st - 23rd of June 2024
Lecturers: Kristine Høiland, Ulrich Meier, Fritjof Winkelmann, Siri Schultze-Florey

II. Confirmation and the Act of Consecration of Man

Week 2, 9th - 13th of September 2024

Weekend 2, 25th - 27th of October 2024

III. Sacramental Consultation

Week 3, 20th - 24th of January 2025

Weekend 3, 7th - 9th of March 2025

IV. Marriage

Week 4, 12th - 16th of May 2025

Weekend 4, 15th - 17th of August 2025

V. Last Anointing and the Funeral

Week 5, 13th - 17th of October 2025

Weekend 5
Conclusion, and discussions of the path forward

The lecturers for the seminar weeks will be announced in advance.

II. Confirmation and the Act of Consecration of Man

Weekend 2, 25th - 27th of October 2024

Download the timetable as a PDF file here

Announcements: At the arrival on Friday there will be time to discuss the self-study undertaken in the preparation for the course. The Priest Ordination will be divided over the five weekends, and the first part will begin with the wording according to the Epistle “Eternal Spirit…” In the evening the Prolog to the Gospel according to John will be read, and attention should be paid to it in the sermon. The focus on Saturday will be given to the guest lecturer and their course offerings. There will be at least one artistic course unit in the afternoon. Questions about the courses, and the Gospel will be given an hour before dinner on Saturday. The hour after dinner should enable a comfortable conversation about course topics - hence the mythological stories…. Sunday is when the course connects most strongly with the community, and there will be presentations for the community after the consecration and a short tea break.