The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church ( , or unofficially ; ), sometimes called the Church of Denmark, is the established, state-supported church in Denmark.State fundings to the National Church . Retrieved 21 January 2011 The supreme secular authority of the church is composed of the reigning monarch and Denmark's Parliament, the Folketing.kristendom.dk – "Dronningen og forholdet til folkekirken" – In Danish. As of 2026, 70% of the population of Denmark are members,Church membership 1990–2026 folkekirken.dk though membership is voluntary.Freedom of religion and religious communities in Denmark , Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by Ansgar, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. In the 10th century, King Harald Bluetooth became Christian and began organizing the church, and by the 11th century, the country was fully Christianized. Since the Reformation in Denmark, the church has been Lutheran, while retaining much of its high church pre-Reformation liturgical traditions.
The 1849 Constitution of Denmark designated the church "the Danish people's church" and mandated that the state support it as such.According to the Constitution of Denmark § 4, "the Evangelical-Lutheran Church is the Danish people's church and is supported as such by the State" ("den evangelisk-lutherske kirke er den danske folkekirke og understøttes som sådan af staten")
The Church of Denmark continues to maintain the historical episcopate. Theological authority is vested in bishops: ten bishops in mainland Denmark and one in Greenland, each overseeing a diocese. The bishop of Copenhagen is primus inter pares.
Organization
Dioceses The Church of Denmark is organized into eleven dioceses, each led by a bishop, including one for Greenland (the Faroe Islands was a twelfth diocese until 29 July 2007). The most senior bishop (primus inter pares) is the bishop of Copenhagen, currently Peter Skov-Jakobsen. The further subdivision includes 111 deaneries and 2,200 parishes. There are about 2,400 ordained pastors (Danish: præst).Role description and numbers (currently 2,400) for a præst are shown on the official website of the church.
Diocese Founded Cathedral Incumbent Diocese of Aalborg 1554 Aalborg Cathedral Bishop Thomas Reinholdt Rasmussen (2021– ) Diocese of Aarhus 948 Aarhus Cathedral Bishop Henrik Wigh-Poulsen (2015– ) Diocese of Copenhagen 1922 Copenhagen Cathedral Bishop Peter Skov-Jakobsen (2009– ) (Primate of Denmark) Diocese of Funen 988 St. Canute's Cathedral Bishop Mads Davidsen (2023– ) Diocese of Haderslev 1922 Haderslev Cathedral Bishop Marianne Christiansen (2013– ) Diocese of Helsingør 1961 Helsingør Cathedral Bishop Peter Birch (2021– ) Diocese of Lolland–Falster 1803 Maribo Cathedral Bishop Marianne Gaarden (2017– ) Diocese of Ribe 948 Ribe Cathedral Bishop Elof Westergaard (2014– ) Diocese of Roskilde 1922 Roskilde Cathedral Bishop Ulla Thorbjørn Hansen (2022– ) Diocese of Viborg 1537 Viborg Cathedral Bishop Henrik Stubkjær (2014– ) Diocese of Greenland 1993 Nuuk Cathedral Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk (2020– )
Parishes Each parish has a parochial council, elected by church members in four-year terms. The parochial council leads the practical business of the local church and decides employment of personnel, including the pastors, musicians, verger, and sacristan. The pastor (Danish: præst) is subordinate to the council, except in spiritual matters such as conducting church services and pastoral care. Parishes in the same local area are grouped into deaneries, with one priest serving as Rural Dean. Deaneries, parochial councils, and pastors are all subordinate to the bishop of the diocese.
Voluntary congregations A special feature is the possibility of creating voluntary congregations (valgmenighed) within the Church. These account for a few percent of church members. They are voluntary associations, electing their own parochial council and parish pastor, whom they agree to pay from their own pockets. In return, they are exempt from church tax. The voluntary congregation and its pastor are subordinate to the bishop of the diocese, and members remain full members of the Church. Historically, when a parish was dominated by a conservative majority and priest, the liberal minority would often set up a voluntary congregation with their own priest – and vice versa. Today the voluntary congregations are often a solution for people who find the idea of a free church appealing, but wish to keep some bonds to the church.
Parish optionality Another, less commonly used feature is parish optionality (sognebåndsløsning, literally "parish bond release"). If a Church member is dissatisfied with the particular pastor of his residence parish, he may choose to be served by another pastor who matches better with his Christian views.
Monasteries and convents
Evangelical-Lutherans interested in Christian monastic life are able to join monasteries and convents in Denmark, including Hellig Kors Kloster (Holy Cross Monastery), as well as nunneries belonging to the Daughters of Mary.
Membership
+ Church of Denmark year population members percentage change annually 1984 5,113,500 4,684,060 91.6% 1990 5,135,409 4,584,450 89.3% 0.4 2000 5,330,500 4,536,422 85.1% 0.4 2010 5,534,738 4,479,214 80.9% 0.6 2020 5,822,763 4,327,018 74.3% 0.4 20215,840,0454,311,33373.8%0.5 20225,873,4204,296,80073.2%0.6 2023 5,932,654 4,276,271 72.1% 1.1 20245,961,2494,253,57571.4%0.7 20255,992,7344,234,31570.7%0.7 20266,025,6034,217,47670.0%0.7 Statistical data: 1984,Church membership 1984 Danmarks statistik 1990–2026, Source: Kirkeministeriet
According to official statistics from January 2026, 70% of the inhabitants of Denmark are members of the Church of Denmark, 0.7 percentage points less than the previous year. Membership rates vary from 52.5% in the Diocese of Copenhagen to 80.7% in the Diocese of Viborg. In recent decades, the percentage of Danes that are members of the church has been slowly declining, the most important reasons being immigration from non-Lutheran countries, withdrawal of some members, and a somewhat lower rate (56.2%) of Danish infants being christened.Baptism statistics 1990 – 2021 folkekirken.dk
Any person who is baptized (usually infant baptism) into the Church of Denmark automatically becomes a member. Members may renounce their membership and later return if they wish. Excommunication is legally possible but a rare occurrence. Examples include declared Satanists. A church member supporting reincarnation was excommunicated, but the Supreme Court overturned the excommunication in 2005.
Faith and church attendance According to the latest inquiry about 2.4% of church members attend services every week, although on Christmas Eve more than a third of the population attends. The church is still widely used for traditional family ceremonies including christenings and confirmations. In the year 2022, 31.2% of weddingsKirkelige vielser og velsignelser folkekirken.dk Marriages by day of marriage and month of the marriage Statistics Denmark and 80.7% funerals were performed in the Church of Denmark,Begravelser i folkekirken folkekirken.dk and 66.5% of children in grade 7–8 were confirmed.Konfirmation folkekirken.dk The level of weekly church attendance is similar to that in Norway and Sweden.
According to a 2009 poll, 25% of Danes believed Jesus is the Son of God, and 18% believed he is the Redeemer.Poll performed in December 2009 among 1114 Danes between ages 18 and 74, Hver fjerde dansker tror på Jesus (One in four Danes believe in Jesus), Kristeligt Dagblad, 23 December 2009
Doctrine
The church is aimed at having a wide acceptance of theological views, as long as they agree with the official symbolic books as stipulated in the Danish Code of 1683. These are: The Apostles' Creed The Nicene Creed The Athanasian Creed The Augsburg Confession Luther's Small Catechism
Revised versions of the Old and New Testament were authorized by Queen Margrethe II in 1992. A revised Hymn Book was authorized in 2002.
Historically, there is a contrast between a liberal current inspired by N. F. S. Grundtvig and more strict, pietist or Bible fundamentalist movements (such as Indre Mission). These tensions have sometimes threatened to divide the Church. Tidehverv is a minor fraction based on a strict Lutheranism and antimodern, national-conservative views.
The Church of Denmark is a member of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe and the Porvoo Communion.
Liturgy
The Communion Service includes three readings from the Bible: a chapter from one of the Gospels, from one of the Epistles or another part of the New Testament and, since 1992, from the Old Testament. Texts are picked from an official list following the church year. Some liturgical features have a fixed content but are free to the form. This accounts for the Common Prayer following the sermon, where the priest is encouraged to mention the royal house. Some will simply mention "the King and all his House" whereas others will list all members of the royal house by name and title.
The sermon, as in other Protestant churches, is a central part of the service. The priest takes a starting point in the text of that Sunday, but is free to form a personal message of it. Hymns are also very central. In contrast to Roman Catholic churches, Danish congregations sit while singing and stand while listening to Bible.
The Church of Denmark recognizes two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper, as well as four other rites. Formerly, individual or shared confession was a condition to receive the Lord's Supper. An official confession ritual still exists, but is used on a particular basis, as requested. There are also official rituals for confirmation, wedding, holy orders, anointing of the sick and funerals. Emergency baptism may be performed by any Christian if necessary, and later the child will then be "ratified" in Church.
Church and state
As supreme authority of the Church of Denmark, the monarch must be a member (article 6 of the Constitution). This applies to the royal princes and princesses as well, but does not apply to their spouses. Traditionally, though, every foreigner who has become a member of the royal family has converted or become a member of the church; as a result, the Prince Consort Henrik converted to Evangelical-Lutheranism from Catholicism and Mary Donaldson also converted from Presbyterianism to Evangelical-Lutheranism.
Freedom of religion With the Reformation in Denmark in 1536, Lutheran Christianity was established as the state religion. For the next century, in a time when religious wars swept Europe, persecution of other faiths followed (Lutheran orthodoxy). Exceptions were granted only to foreign diplomats. For at least a period in the 16th century, small circles of clandestine Catholicism prevailed. From the second half of the 17th century, Roman Catholic, Reformed and Jewish congregations were allowed in the new town of Fredericia. Non-Lutherans were also allowed in Friedrichstadt and on Nordstrand in Slesvig. With the constitution of 1849, freedom of religion was introduced in Denmark, but Lutheranism remained the state church.
Recognized and approved religions A religious community does not need any state approval in order to enjoy the freedom of religion granted by the constitution. However, state-approved congregations (godkendte trossamfund) enjoy several privileges. They may conduct legal weddings, establish own cemeteries, get residence permits for foreign priests, are exempt from corporate and property tax, may apply for means from the state lottery fund, and members may tax-deduct membership fees and presents to the congregation.