Our task

The task of the research activities of the church is to carry out research concerning the changes in the Church and religious life or society at large, as deemed useful for the purposes of the decision-making and development of activities within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. We aim to ensure that the Church always has the necessary research-based information available. Through our research activities, we provide the National Church Council support for the anticipation of changes in the operating environment, for the development of the Church activities, and for communications.

With our assistance, the society at large also gains knowledge about the Church and religious life. The researchers contribute, through their expertise, to domestic and international research projects as well as various workgroups and bodies of trust. The results obtained by our researchers are published as scientific and popularized articles in international and national publications. We also arrange seminars on current topics.

Apart from its own research activities, the Church Research and Advanced Training annually awards, from the funds allocated to it, grants for research that is useful for the decision-making and development of activities within the Church and parishes. 

The Church Research Institute started its operations in 1969. In 1994, as a result of the administrative reform, the Institute became an independent unit under the National Church Council. From its foundation, it was located in Tampere until the end of September 2021, when the unit moved to the Church House in Helsinki. The beginning of 2022 research activities will be part of the Church's Research and Advanced Training.