Swedish Evangelical Mission
An independent low-church evangelical movement that operates within the Church of Sweden.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Swedish Evangelical Mission, commonly known by its Swedish name Evangeliska Fosterlands-Stiftelsen and the abbreviation EFS, is an independent evangelical movement within the Church of Sweden. It is not a separate denomination: its identity is defined by remaining inside the ecclesial and confessional framework of the Church of Sweden while maintaining a substantial degree of organizational independence and a strong revivalist, lay-led character. The movement emerged from nineteenth-century Swedish Pietism and the Mission Friends tradition, when revival preachers and writers sought to renew the established Lutheran church rather than abandon it for the growing free-church movement. EFS places particular emphasis on personal faith in Jesus Christ, conversion, Bible reading, practical Christian discipleship, evangelism, and the universal priesthood of believers. Lay participation is central to its worship, governance, education, publishing, and missionary activities. Local missionary associations and EFS groups often function with considerable autonomy. Some operate meeting houses or chapels independently, while others cooperate with Church of Sweden parishes or with Christian communities from other traditions. The movement is organized nationally through seven districts and a common organization based in Uppsala. In 2022 it had approximately 22,400 members and around 350 affiliated local associations. Its work extends beyond congregational life. EFS has historically distributed Christian literature, organized preaching and Bible teaching, trained ministers and missionaries, supported foreign missions, and operated seafarers' mission activities. Its publishing tradition began in the nineteenth century and later became associated with Verbum Förlag. The periodical Budbäraren, founded in 1857, remains an important vehicle for communication and debate within the movement. Johannelund Theological University and College, whose roots lie in the EFS mission institute founded in 1862, has been a significant center for theological education. Foreign mission became an official priority in the early 1860s. EFS missionaries were sent to East Africa in 1865, making this one of the earliest foreign mission initiatives undertaken by a Swedish church organization. Later activities developed in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Tanzania, India, and other locations. The organization also worked among Estonian Swedes and maintained links with Swedish Lutheran networks in North America. Its seafarers' mission, formally established in 1869, was eventually merged with the Church of Sweden Abroad in 1974. EFS has experienced recurring internal debates over doctrine, biblical interpretation, church order, women in ministry, and relations with other Christian movements. Some disputes produced lasting breakaways, including the formation of the Swedish Mission Covenant in 1878 and the departure of Bibeltrogna Vänner in 1911. Other controversies, such as the late-1960s debate over historical-critical biblical interpretation and the movement's response to prosperity theology in the 1980s, were handled within or around the organization without ending its intra-church identity. In contemporary Sweden, EFS combines traditional revivalist theology with participation in the institutional life of the Church of Sweden. Its activities include local worship, evangelism, theological education, children's and youth work through Salt, scouting through Salt Scout, church planting, and international mission. Since 2003 it has actively encouraged new local mission associations and EFS groups. The movement therefore occupies a middle position: more independent and lay-oriented than a conventional parish structure, but deliberately connected to the Church of Sweden rather than constituted as a free-standing denomination.
History
EFS was founded in Stockholm on 7 May 1856 as Fosterländska Stiftelsen för Evangelii befrämjande. Its creation followed the expansion of Swedish revivalism, Pietism, and Mission Friends networks. Leaders including Hans Jacob Lundborg, Carl Olof Rosenius, Carl Axel Torén, and Peter Fjellstedt wanted to promote conversion, Bible-centered faith, and missionary activity while preserving an Evangelical Lutheran identity within the Church of Sweden. This approach distinguished EFS from free churches and gave the movement its characteristic combination of independence and ecclesial attachment. The organization quickly developed a network of itinerant preachers, Christian booksellers, local associations, and mission houses. In 1857 it acquired the former church of Scottish Methodist preacher George Scott in Stockholm; the building became Bethlehem Church. The same year EFS began publishing Budbäraren and established its publishing operation. Literature distribution was central to its strategy, reflecting the Swedish reader revival's emphasis on personal Bible reading and religious education. Its early publishing list included Luther's Church Postil, issued in 1860 in multiple editions. EFS initially concentrated on domestic evangelism, but foreign mission became an official objective after the 1861 annual meeting. A mission institute was created in 1862, later becoming Johannelund Theological University and College. In 1865 EFS sent C. J. Carlsson, L. J. Lange, and P. E. Kjellberg to East Africa, in what is described as the first foreign mission project undertaken by a Swedish church organization. Work subsequently developed among Oromo and other communities in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Several early students from Eritrea, including Onesimus Nesib and other named trainees, studied in Sweden and returned to serve as Christian leaders. EFS also worked among Estonian Swedes, in India, and in other parts of Africa and Asia. Seafarers' mission was another important branch. Although contacts with Swedish sailors existed earlier, the work was formally organized in 1869. It continued until the seafarers' mission was merged with the Church of Sweden Abroad in 1974. EFS also cooperated with Swedish Lutheran networks in the United States, including the Augustana Synod, and later developed an American mission. The movement's insistence on its Lutheran confession repeatedly generated doctrinal conflict. In 1878 disagreements about the atonement, the Augsburg Confession, Communion, and the permissible relationship with Baptists, Methodists, and Mission Friends contributed to the creation of the Swedish Mission Covenant under Paul Petter Waldenström. In 1911, Bibeltrogna Vänner separated under Axel B. Svensson, partly because of disputes about biblical inspiration and the organization's relationship with the Church of Sweden. EFS also experienced a major biblical-interpretation debate in the late 1960s. Torsten Nilsson's moderately historical-critical approach, developed during the period when Johannelund moved to Uppsala and collaborated with Uppsala University, was criticized by conservative members. Nilsson resigned in 1969, and David Hedegård and several Västerbotten preachers also left or formed associated initiatives. The question of women in leadership and ministry shaped the movement during the twentieth century. Isabella Stolpe became its first female board member in 1943. In 1963 the annual conference rejected a high-church argument against women's preaching and emphasized the content of preaching rather than the preacher's sex. Birgitta Eriksson became the first female EFS president in 1995. Organizational ties with the Church of Sweden were strengthened through decisions in 1989 and 1990; since then EFS preachers and pastors have generally been ordained by the Church of Sweden, often after training at Johannelund. EFS responded to the rise of Word of Faith and prosperity theology in 1980s Uppsala by publishing critical material and excluding related events from advertising in Budbäraren. Over time, local tensions eased. The movement also expanded its youth and community work. Scouting began in 1987, the Salt children's and youth association was founded in 2005, and scouting later operated under the Salt Scout name. Since 2003 EFS has supported church planting and the creation of new local groups. Today it remains a democratic social movement within the Church of Sweden, with approximately 22,400 members, around 350 local associations, seven districts, and international mission partnerships.
- 2017
Kerstin Oderhem becomes mission director
[1]Oderhem became the twentieth mission director and the first woman in the role.
- 2005
Salt is founded
[1]The children's and youth association Salt was created.
- 2003
Church-planting program expands
[1]EFS began an organized effort to establish new mission associations and local groups.
- 1995
First woman becomes EFS president
[1]Birgitta Eriksson was appointed the first female president of the movement.
- 1990
Budbäraren appoints first female editor-in-chief
[1]Inga Belani became the periodical's first woman editor-in-chief.
- 1987
Scouting begins
[1]EFS started organized scouting activities, later renamed Salt Scout.
- 1974
Seafarers' mission merges with Church of Sweden Abroad
[1]EFS's seafarer ministry was incorporated into the Church of Sweden Abroad.
- 1970
Johannelund moves to Uppsala
[1]The theological institution relocated from Stockholm to Uppsala, where it remains based.
- 1943
First woman joins the board
[1]Isabella Stolpe became the organization's first female board member.
- 1911
Bibeltrogna Vänner breaks away
[1]A conservative group led by Axel B. Svensson separated over biblical authority and church-related questions.
Products and positioning
A lay-led, evangelical and mission-oriented renewal movement operating within the Lutheran Church of Sweden.
Religious periodical · 1857
Budbäraren
EFS's long-running periodical, founded in 1857, serves as an internal publication and forum for news, teaching, missionary communication, and theological discussion. It has also been a venue for debates that shaped the movement's understanding of biblical interpretation and its relationship with other Christian traditions.
Theological education · 1862
Johannelund Theological University and College
Founded as the EFS mission institute in 1862, Johannelund provides theological education associated with EFS and prepares people for Christian ministry and mission. The institution moved to Uppsala in 1970 and has also trained priests serving in the Church of Sweden.
Children's and youth movement · 2005
Salt
Salt organizes EFS-related activities for children and young people. It supports Christian formation, community life, and youth engagement across local associations and groups. The organization has also been connected with scouting, which operates under the Salt Scout name.
Scouting program · 1987
Salt Scout
The scouting branch associated with EFS began in 1987 as EFS Scout and adopted the Salt Scout name from 2014. It combines scouting activities with the movement's Christian youth and educational work.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Local church planting
Sweden
EFS began a movement-wide effort to create new mission associations and EFS groups, including communities in Uppsala, Hisingen, Timrå, and Stockholm.
Outcome. The initiative broadened the movement's local presence and supported new forms of cooperation with Church of Sweden congregations.
- 1869Swedish seafarers' mission
International ports
EFS organized pastoral and practical ministry for Swedish sailors, building on activity that had begun before formal establishment.
Outcome. The work continued until its merger with the Church of Sweden Abroad in 1974.
- 1865East African mission
Eritrea · Ethiopia
EFS sent its first overseas missionaries to East Africa and developed long-term work among Oromo and other communities. The initiative later included theological education for students from the region, some of whom returned to serve as pastors and Christian leaders.
Outcome. The project became the foundation for EFS's continuing international mission presence in the Horn of Africa.
Brand decisions
2005
Create Salt for children and youthStrategyBackground
EFS needed a coordinated structure for its growing children's and youth activities.
Action taken
The movement established Salt as a dedicated children's and youth association.
Aftermath
Salt became a major part of EFS's youth work, later incorporating the Salt Scout program.
1989
Strengthen formal ties with the Church of SwedenStrategyBackground
EFS sought to clarify and reinforce its intra-church status while retaining local independence and lay participation.
Action taken
Decisions in 1989 and 1990 strengthened institutional ties and established a framework in which EFS preachers and pastors were ordained by the Church of Sweden.
Aftermath
EFS consolidated its position as an independent movement within, rather than a denomination separate from, the Church of Sweden.
1878
Retain the Lutheran confessional positionStrategyBackground
Debate over the atonement, the Augsburg Confession, Communion, and cooperation with Baptists, Methodists, and Methodists exposed differences about how broadly the mission movement should define itself.
Action taken
EFS rejected a proposal to broaden its confessional basis beyond its Lutheran framework.
Aftermath
Paul Petter Waldenström and associated societies helped establish the Swedish Mission Covenant outside EFS.
1861
Adopt foreign mission as a formal priorityStrategyBackground
EFS had initially concentrated on domestic revival and evangelism, but influential members argued that its evangelical commitment should include overseas mission.
Action taken
The annual meeting authorized foreign missionary work and the organization subsequently established training and sending structures.
Aftermath
EFS sent its first missionaries to East Africa in 1865 and developed wider work in Africa and Asia.
Sources1 sources
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