Two of the nominees for the episcopal election, Sakarias Ingolfsson and Markus Snellman, have accepted the nominations and will stand for election as the new bishop when Bishop Torkild Masvie reaches the age limit in October.
The church has ten pastors in active service, with congregations in most of the largest cities in Norway and Iceland. The small church aims to be geographically accessible to the majority of the population. It has experienced steady growth in church attendance, members, congregations, and pastors in recent years and expects similar growth in the future. The church continues the classic legacy of the Lutheran Reformation in our West Nordic area (1536), which has been abandoned in today’s state churches in these countries.
Icelander Sakarias Ingolfsson (43) is a parish pastor in the Messiah Church-Oslo and in Reykjavik, and leads the AdFontes pastor study program. He holds a theological education and master’s degree from Fjellhaug International University College in Oslo, as well as an S.T.M. degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft Wayne, Gothenburg program. He is married to Margrethe, and they have three children.
The Swedish-speaking Finn Markus Snellman (33) is a parish pastor in Narvik and Svolvær, and is currently leading a church building project in the center of Narvik. He has his theological education with a master’s degree from Fjellhaug with a year’s study and a master’s degree also from Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft Wayne. USA.
Snellmann is married to Nora, and they have three children.
The election of a new bishop will take place at the church council on March 14, and the episcopal consecration will take place in Oslo on October 24 in the presence of bishops and church leaders from several countries.
Bishop Masvie is not afraid that the two bishop candidates are so young. “They are the same Age as two of the most significant church fathers were when they were consecrated bishops, Athanasius was 30 and Ambrose 34.”
Masvie himself will continue to serve when and where the church’s new bishop wants his help, but he is very satisfied that both the bylaws and the classic West-Nordic church tradition of an age limit of seventy years pave the way for a new bishop. “When you reach seventy, your energy is reduced, and you no longer have what it takes to lead and continue the church’s work. Age limits protect churches and businesses from leaders who do not understand that their time is up.”