Kyrkoordning

Chapter 1: General provisions.

The church recognizes a specified Christian faith tradition and treats the confessional principle of testing all teaching by God’s word as its highest guide.

The pastor decides on church membership admissions and must refer a rejected application to the church council or parish council for resolution.

Kirkon jäsenillä on oikeus osallistua kirkon toimituksiin ja seurakunnan toimintaan. Tietyillä muiden kristillisten yhteisöjen jäsenillä on samat oikeudet, jos kirkolliskokouksen hyväksymä sopimus on olemassa. Kirkon jäsenillä on myös useita velvollisuuksia liittyen jumalanpalvelukseen, elämäntapaan, avioliittoon, lasten kastamiseen ja kristilliseen kasvatukseen.

Church feast days are determined according to long-standing Western Christian practice, except that Midsummer Day is observed on the Saturday after June 19 and All Saints’ Day on the Saturday after October 30.

A church division initiative must be justified and include the needed supporting material; a parish council initiative must also include the joint church council’s opinion.

Tuomiokapituli may appoint one or more investigators to prepare parish-division changes and a proposal; the investigator may inspect relevant documents, must submit the proposal and collected documents, and the chapter must hear affected bodies and sometimes obtain an opinion on the parish name. Kirkkohallitus may decide a minor change without the listed opinions.

If a parish division change is pending, parish councils or parish boards may make an agreement on organizing the administration of a parish sub-area.

Kirkkohallitus decides on property division when a parish-division change is decided, and it may postpone that decision for a special reason.

When a parish is divided, each resulting parish receives property in proportion to its number of present members on the effective date.

The allocation rules may be departed from in certain parish-division situations, especially to avoid serious financial harm or other substantial hardship, and to avoid an unreasonable result when reversing a prior change.

Tuomiokapituli appoints the restructuring committee chair, members, and personal alternates, and the members must be eligible for the relevant parish trust office.

Järjestelytoimikunnan on hoidettava tässä pykälässä luetellut valmistelu- ja täytäntöönpanotehtävät.

The committee chair must promptly call the elected members to the first meeting after the election result is confirmed or the council is formed based on the previous election.

The diocesan chapter decides how the costs of the administrator and the arrangement committee are divided among parishes.

Church services, church ceremonies, sermons, and certain books must follow the church manual and other approved church books; sermons must be based on prescribed texts, align with the church confession, and must not contain incitement or improper references to a person.

Pääjumalanpalvelus on pidettävä sunnuntaisin ja kirkollisina juhlapäivinä seurakunnan kirkossa, mutta se voidaan myös pitää muualla.

Pääjumalanpalvelus alkaa lähtökohtaisesti kello 10, mutta kirkkoneuvosto, seurakuntaneuvosto tai kirkkoherra voi tietyissä tilanteissa päättää muusta alkamisaikasta.

Seurakunnan pappi toimittaa jumalanpalveluksen; muu pappi voi toimittaa sen kirkkoherran suostumuksella tai lääninrovastin määräyksestä.

Offerings may be collected in worship services and other church or parish events to support church and parish work and similar purposes.

Ehtoollista voidaan viettää jumalanpalveluksessa ja tietyissä muissa hyväksytyissä tai valvotuissa paikoissa.

Confirmed church members may take communion; baptized children and confirmation-class members may also participate if the stated conditions are met, and the Bishop’s Conference sets conditions for baptized members of other Christian churches in individual cases.

The priest must administer communion. A lecturer may assist in distributing communion in a specified case. The parish priest may grant certain confirmed church members the right to assist, and the field bishop decides that right in military church work. Any Christian may give communion in an emergency if a priest is unavailable.

Church members must have their child baptized without unnecessary delay, and a properly baptized person may not be baptized again.

A church member must perform an emergency baptism for a child or unbaptized adult in certain urgent cases; another Christian may also perform it.

A baptized child must have at least one sponsor who is confirmed and a member of a church that confesses the Evangelical-Lutheran faith.

A priest performs marriage ceremonies in church or elsewhere as agreed with the couple, and the couple must be confirmed members of the church unless one belongs to another Christian church or denomination.

A priest normally performs the burial blessing, and in exceptional cases a priest from another Christian church or comparable community may do it if the deceased clearly wished so and the parish rector agrees.

Kirkkoon kuulumaton henkilö voidaan siunata hautaan, jos vainajan hautauksesta huolehtivat henkilöt pyytävät sitä.

Parish members can ask for a preferred priest from their own parish to perform a church rite unless a justified reason prevents it; priests must also perform rites for members of other parishes in their parish area, may do so in another parish area when requested, and must issue a certificate on request.

A parish may pay a fee to a priest, lay reader, or cantor it has asked to perform a church service for the parish.

Every baptized child has a right to Christian upbringing and teaching in the church's common faith. Parents and guardians must provide it, and godparents and the parish must support them.

Seurakunnan on huolehdittava jäsentensä kristillisestä kasvatuksesta ja hengellisen elämän hoitamisesta sekä tarjottava sama mahdollisuus myös muille kuin jäsenille.

Seurakunnan tulee järjestää rippikoulu ja siinä opetetaan kirkon yhteistä uskoa sekä kirkolliskokouksen hyväksymää kristinoppia.

Tuomiokapituli may grant a fixed-term permit to hold confirmation school for a Christian association, foundation, or other community, and may revoke the permit if the teaching or arrangements do not meet the permit’s conditions.

In confirmation, a congregation member gains the right to take communion independently, a person entitled on the basis of confirmation school may participate, and a priest or lecturer conducts the confirmation.

Seurakunnan on huolehdittava sielunhoidosta alueellaan ja tarjottava mahdollisuus yksityiseen rippiin.

Seurakunnan, papin ja kirkkoherran on huolehdittava, ohjattava tai oikaistava seurakunnan jäsenten kristillistä opetusta ja elämäntapaa koskevissa tilanteissa.

Seurakunnan ja sen jäsenten tulee harjoittaa diakoniaa.

The congregation and its members must promote missionary work.

Kirkkovaltuuston jäsenmäärä määräytyy seurakunnan läsnä olevien jäsenten määrän mukaan.

Kirkkovaltuusto valitsee keskuudestaan puheenjohtajan ja varapuheenjohtajan toimikautensa ensimmäisen ja kolmannen vuoden ensimmäisessä kokouksessa.

The church council meeting is convened by the chair, or if the chair is unavailable, by the vice-chair; if both are unavailable, by the chair of the church board.

A meeting notice for the church council must state the time and place, include an agenda, and be sent to members at least one week before the meeting.

The church council chair and vice chair must be present and may speak at the church assembly meeting; if both are prevented, a council member designated by the church council takes that role.

The rules may grant the sub-area board chair and the priest leading the sub-area’s activities the right to attend and speak at parish council and church council meetings.

The church council is chaired by the parish priest, has a vice-chair and 5–11 other eligible members, and elected members have personal deputy members.

Kirkkoneuvoston on edistettävä seurakunnan hengellistä elämää, toteutettava seurakunnan tehtävää ja huolehdittava kirkkovaltuuston päätösten täytäntöönpanosta.

The kirkkoneuvosto decides the time and place of its meetings, and the chair summons meetings in the manner the kirkkoneuvosto has तय?

Seurakunta tai seurakuntayhtymä may approve rules of procedure for officials’ work and for organizing its other administration.

Kirkkovaltuusto may appoint committees under the church council for its term of office.

Tietyillä kirkon toimielinten puheenjohtajilla on läsnäolo- ja puheoikeus tietyissä kokouksissa, ja hallintosäännössä tai kokouksen päätöksellä myös muille voidaan antaa läsnäolo-oikeus.

Johtokunnan, tiettyjen viranhaltijoiden ja luottamushenkilöiden päätökset on toimitettava kirkkoneuvostolle hallintosäännön mukaisesti.

If the parish priest and the church council disagree on certain church matters, the matter must be referred to the diocesan chapter for decision.

Church councils must prepare a proposal for the parish union’s basic statute; if agreement is not reached, the diocesan chapter may appoint a rapporteur, and the rapporteur has a right to inspect relevant documents and receive help.

The perussääntö must state the seurakuntayhtymä’s name, domicile, and member congregations, and the name must include “seurakuntayhtymä”.

If the bylaws or parish elections are not completed in time, the parishes and parish unions must handle the matters listed in Chapter 3, Section 15 of the Church Act as a temporary parish union from the date the municipal division change takes effect.

Väliaikaiset kirkolliset toimielimet jatkavat toimintaansa, kunnes uudet toimielimet on muodostettu tai valittu, ja tietyt elinten jäsenet valitaan tämän väliaikaisen järjestelyn mukaisesti.

Väliaikaisten toimielinten on hoidettava välttämättömiä tehtäviä ennen toiminnan aloitusta, ja väliaikaisen yhteisen kirkkovaltuuston on vahvistettava ensimmäisen vuoden tuloveroprosentti, hyväksyttävä talousarvio sekä hyväksyttävä edellisen liittymistä edeltäneen vuoden tilinpäätökset ja vastuuvapaus. Tuomiokapituli voi määrätä muita väliaikaisia toimenpiteitä muodostamisen yhteydessä.

The joint church council has a fixed member count based on parish membership, but it may choose a smaller odd number of members for one term for a special reason, with a minimum of 11.

The diocesan chapter must appoint the chair of the joint church council from among parish pastors, and the joint church council must elect the vice-chair, 5 to 15 other eligible members, and their personal deputies.

Certain persons have the right to attend and speak at a joint church council meeting.

The parish council chairperson is the parish priest, and the parish council must choose a vice chair at its first meeting in the first and third year of its term.

Seurakuntaneuvosto may establish committees, and their tasks must be set in the rules of procedure approved by the church council.

Before a joint church council decides certain matters, it must give the parish council an opportunity to state its view.

A cooperation agreement must specify who performs the task, how costs are shared, and the cancellation terms and financial settlement.

A congregation must have a church. With permission from the cathedral chapter, it may use another congregation’s or another community’s church. Two language-based congregations in the same area may share one church.

A new church must be consecrated, and the parish priest monitors its use.

A parish may have a chapel for worship services, other devotional activities, and church rites.

A parish must have a cemetery arrangement, fence or clearly mark the burial area, and have storage space for deceased persons.

A cemetery and a chapel of blessing must be consecrated before use; a non-denominational burial area is not consecrated.

A cemetery must have a cemetery plan and a use plan.

Seurakunnan on laadittava hautausmaan hoitosuunnitelma.

A cemetery map must be drawn up for the cemetery.

Parish or parish union sites where a church, cemetery, or chapel has existed must be marked with a memorial plaque or other memorial.

Parishes and parish unions must take special care of culturally and historically valuable property and items they own or control. They may not repair, move, or remove such items without a special reason.

The member register must also include certain baptism/ceremony-related information and membership in specified church-related trust positions.

Parishes and parish unions must organize the keeping of church records as a joint central register under the cited rules.

The central register director, or a designated official/employee familiar with keeping church registers, may issue certificates, extracts, and copies based on church registers.

Kirkkohallitus may provide certain member register data itself or arrange for disclosure with a parish or central register.

Manuaaliset kirkonkirjat on säilytettävä asianmukaisessa arkistotilassa, and certain older paper church books or digitized member-register books may be deposited in the archives by decision of the church council or parish council.

The Church Assembly may establish and abolish archbishop and bishop offices. When a bishop’s office becomes vacant, the diocesan chapter must arrange a bishop election and issue the appointment order to the elected person.

The archbishop must consecrate or install a bishop, or if the archbishop is unable to act, the senior bishop in office does so.

The bishop being ordained promises to uphold the church’s doctrine, ensure proper preaching and sacraments, ordain qualified priests, promote peace and lawful authority, and follow church law and order.

The bishop in each diocese must oversee parishes and priests and carry out specified oversight, support, inspection, and ordination-related duties.

In the archdiocese, episcopal responsibility is divided between the archbishop and the bishop.

If a bishop’s office is vacant or the bishop is unable to act, the dean or, if the dean is unable, the senior senior clerical assessor handles urgent and necessary bishop duties; they may not ordain bishops or priests.

Bishop inspections must be carried out in the diocese’s parishes and parish unions, and the church council or parish council must act on the inspection report’s recommendations.

The bishop may call diocesan priests and deacons to a synod meeting, and may also call parish officeholders, officials, staff, and community representatives to a diocesan day, when needed.

Hiippakuntavaltuusto has 14 lay members and 7 clergy, elects a chair and vice chair from among its members, and the chair must be a lay member.

The diocesan council must approve the diocese’s budget and financial plan, approve its annual report, establish and abolish chapter offices, and nominate candidates for the election of certain Church Employment Authority council members and deputy members.

The bishop leads and supervises the cathedral chapter’s administration and activities, and acts as its personnel supervisor. In an archdiocese, these duties belong to the archbishop.

The section lists the members of the chapter and gives certain people the right to attend and speak at chapter sessions.

The chapter council must appoint substitute members for clergy members and the legal adviser, and set the order in which substitutes step in. Lay members have a first and second substitute. The field bishop joins as an additional member in certain cases involving a military chaplain.

This provision sets eligibility requirements for certain diocesan offices and says lay members of the diocesan council elect lay members and deputy members of the chapter.

The same person may be elected as a lay member or pappisasessori in the same diocese for no more than two terms.

The Cathedral Chapter must support parish operations, prepare matters for the diocesan council, manage staff employment matters, decide deanery divisions, and manage certain donated and foundation-type funds.

Matters are decided by presentation from a chapter official, according to the chapter’s rules of procedure, but matters assigned to an official may be decided without presentation.

A deanery consists of two or more parishes, and the deanery containing the cathedral parish is a cathedral deanery.

Lääninrovasti auttaa piispaa ja tuomiokapitulia rovastikunnan hallinnossa, ja tuomiokapituli nimittää hänet neljäksi vuodeksi kerrallaan.

Kirkkohallitus päättää hiippakuntien edustajapaikkojen jaosta; Ahvenanmaan seurakuntien maallikkoedustajaa ja jäsenmääriä ei lasketa mukaan, ja edustajan toimikausi päättyy, եթե hän muuttaa pois valintahiippakunnasta tai menettää vaalikelpoisuutensa.

Kirkolliskokous kokoontuu vuosittain määrättyinä päivinä tai sen itse päättäminä päivinä. Jos edustaja ei pääse paikalle, hänen on ilmoitettava siitä tuomiokapitulille, joka kutsuu varaedustajan ja antaa tälle valtakirjan. Istuntokausi alkaa jumalanpalveluksella.

The church assembly chair is the archbishop, or if that office is vacant, the senior bishop in office.

Tietyillä kirkkohallituksen ja kirkolliskokouksen nimeämillä henkilöillä on oikeus olla läsnä ja puhua kirkolliskokouksen täysistunnossa.

Asiaa koskevat esitykset ja aloitteet käsitellään tarkemmin työjärjestyksessä; esitys tai aloite siirretään valiokuntaan, ellei sitä hylätä pöydällepanon jälkeen, ja asia raukeaa, jos sitä ei käsitellä loppuun ennen toimikauden päättymistä tai sitä ei anneta valmisteltavaksi oikealle toimielimelle.

Piispainkokoukselle and Kirkkohallitukselle must be given a chance to give an opinion in the matters named here.

The church legal review committee must technically and linguistically review certain draft rules and regulations, and the synod approves the committee’s rules while the church council appoints its members.

Kirkolliskokous may approve Kirkkohallitus’s rules, supervise its activities, and give it operating instructions.

The Church Assembly may establish and abolish the office of the chief official of the Church Administration, and it may appoint that official and accept the official’s resignation.

Piispainkokous may handle church governance matters and issue more detailed implementing rules on listed church matters.

The bishop conference is chaired by the archbishop, or if the archbishop is prevented, by the senior bishop present. The diocesan chapter must appoint a priest member to attend when the bishop’s office is vacant or the bishop is prevented; the priest member and the military bishop have attendance and speaking rights.

Kirkkokokous ja piispainkokous toimittavat kirkkohallituksen jäsenten vaalin määräaikoina, hiippakunnista valitaan tietyt jäsenet ehdollepanon perusteella, ja jäsenyys jatkuu vaikka jäsen muuttaa toiseen hiippakuntaan kuuluvaan seurakuntaan.

Kirkkohallitus has several listed duties, including managing the church central fund, preparing matters for the Church Assembly, issuing detailed regulations in certain areas, handling accounting and payroll, managing designated funds, deciding on offerings, recognizing foreign studies and qualifications, creating or abolishing its offices, and publishing regulations.

Kirkkohallitus must choose a vice-chair from among its members for its term, and the leading official and department head have the right to be present and speak in the Kirkkohallitus session.

The Church Board may delegate decision-making power over certain listed matters to the Office Collegium, but not over several specified matters.

Certain Church Administration officials may decide to refer some decisions to the Church Council plenary.

The parish and parish union must pay the church central fund an annual basic payment in six equal bimonthly instalments, starting in February. If a final decision removes church tax that the parish used as the basis for that payment, the parish may recover any overpaid amount.

Kirkkohallitus may grant church tax revenue supplementation to a parish or parish union if its calculated per-member church tax falls below the equalization threshold, and it may reduce the amount in some cases.

Kirkkohallitus may grant discretionary aid to a parish or parish union, and may also lend funds.

Parishes and parish unions receive certain funding automatically, while discretionary aid for culturally and historically valuable buildings and movable property is granted on application. The Church Board may also audit the finances of a parish or parish union that has received aid or funding.

Kirkkohallituksen yhteydessä toimii palvelukeskus, joka hoitaa listed church entities’ accounting, payroll, invoicing, ledger and related payment traffic.

Kirkkohallitus must appoint the service center board for its term, and the board must meet specified composition, qualification, and appointment-share requirements.

Kirkkohallitus must give the church assembly a yearly report on its activities and the management of the church central fund.

The listed church entities must follow the budget and sound financial management principles, and manage property productively while controlling risk.

Each calendar year, a budget must be prepared, and the budget approval must include a three-year operating and financial plan.

The church council must approve the budget and financial plan by December of the year before the budget year.

Kirkolliskokouksen on hyväksyttävä kirkon keskusrahaston talousarvio ja toiminta- ja taloussuunnitelma marraskuussa ennen talousarviovuotta.

Seurakunnan, seurakuntayhtymän ja kirkon keskusrahaston on laadittava tilinpäätös määräaikaan mennessä ja tehtävä siihen liittyvä esitys tuloksen käsittelystä ja talouden tasapainottamisesta.

The toimintakertomus must include specified information about administration, operations, finances, internal control, material matters not covered elsewhere, the group, initiatives taken, and—if there is an uncovered deficit—balanced finances and the sufficiency of the current plan to restore balance.

Church councils must appoint auditors or an audit firm, and the firm must name a responsible lead auditor.

Jos tarkastuksessa havaitaan olennaista säännösten tai päätösten vastaista hoitoa, tilintarkastuskertomukseen on tehtävä muistutus, siitä on pyydettävä vastine, ja tietyt päätös- ja raportointitoimet on vietävä asianomaisen toimielimen käsiteltäväksi.

Seurakunnan, seurakuntayhtymän ja kirkon keskusrahaston metsää on hoidettava metsäsuunnitelman mukaisesti.

A priest’s special duty is to conduct worship, distribute sacraments, handle other church rites, and provide private pastoral care and confession.

Piispa ja tuomiokapituli päättävät, hyväksytäänkö henkilö pappisvirkaan vihittäväksi.

A bishop performs priestly ordinations. If the bishop’s office is vacant or the bishop is prevented, the cathedral chapter may call another bishop to perform the ordination.

A person may be ordained only if they meet the listed eligibility requirements, and the applicant must show the diocesan chapter and bishop that they can serve as a priest.

A person being ordained as a priest must take an oath to follow God’s word, the church confession, church law and order, and to serve the congregation; they must not publicly or secretly promote teachings opposed to that confession.

A bishop and diocesan chapter decide whether a priest from another church may serve as a priest in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The applicant must meet ordination requirements, give the priest’s promise, and be ordained unless already ordained in a qualifying church.

A priest asked to perform a priestly service for a Christian who does not belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church must not refuse, unless the service would conflict with the law, church order, or the church’s confession.

A priest is assigned to a diocese based on ordination, approved transfer, later posting, resignation, or special rules for parish federation staff and military chaplains.

Papit are assigned to the deanery tied to their parish, parish union, or other listed status; in some cases the chapter decides the deanery.

The bishop and the chapter may restore the clerical office on request.

A parish must have the offices of pastor, cantor and deacon; other offices are optional, and several bodies are empowered to decide on, create, change, or abolish certain offices.

Hiippakuntavaltuusto decides on establishing and abolishing certain church offices unless otherwise provided. Some listed offices are exempt from probation, and certain officeholders cannot be laid off. The provision also sets maximum term lengths for specified fixed-term church appointments.

Parish priests must meet specified language proficiency requirements, and certain diocesan chapters decide the requirements for special parishes.

Certain staff with a university-degree qualification must meet specified language-proficiency requirements, with limited rule-based exceptions.

Bilingual parishes and parish unions must have a language rule, and it must include the language-proficiency qualification requirements from section 4.

Finnish and Swedish language proficiency must be shown in the manner laid down in the government decree 481/2003.

Sámi language skill is treated as a special merit when filling a parish office or other employment in a parish partly or wholly in the Sámi homeland.

If needed, the rules of procedure set the qualification requirements and duties for offices in the diocesan chapters and the Church Council.

This section assigns which church bodies may grant leave, annual leave, and time off for different categories of church personnel, and allows the Church Council to issue more detailed rules for priests’ leave arrangements.

Certain church priests must attach a council statement when applying for more than two months of leave for reasons other than illness or parental leave, and leave/vacation decisions must be notified to specified church bodies.

A priest may be eligible for certain church offices only if the required theological and leadership qualifications are completed.

A priest may complete the pastoral examination only if they have at least two years of qualifying service or teaching experience and have behaved appropriately; the diocesan chapter issues the certificate of completion.

The parish pastor must lead the parish’s activities and oversee worship, supervision, legality, and presentation of matters to church bodies.

Kirkkovaltuusto tai seurakuntaneuvosto voi päättää, että kirkkoherran alainen viranhaltija tai työntekijä toimii muiden päätöksessä nimettyjen kirkkoherran alaisten viranhaltijoiden tai työntekijöiden esimiehenä.

Before the cathedral chapter permanently fills a parish pastor post, it must let the parish give its view on the post’s special needs and must ask for a statement from applicants before issuing the appointment order.

A military chaplain is subordinate to the field bishop when performing clerical duties.

Vankilapappi on tuomiokapitulin alainen tehtäviensä osalta, ja tuomiokapituli täyttää vankilaan perustetun papin viran sekä voi tarvittaessa määrätä väliaikaisen hoitajan ja viransijaisen.

Tuomiokapituli may decide on an indirect election for selecting a parish priest, but only if the parish council, parish church council, or an involved parish requests it.

If a parish priest’s or vicar’s office becomes vacant, the diocesan chapter must announce it for application, and the application period must be at least 14 days after notice is published.

Hakuajan päätyttyä tuomiokapitulin on tutkittava hakijoiden kelpoisuus virkaan. Hakija ei ole kelpoinen kirkkoherran tai kappalaisen virkaan, jos hän ei täytä kelpoisuusvaatimuksia, on pidätetty pappisviran toimittamisesta, hakee välittömällä vaalilla valittavaan kirkkoherran virkaan (paitsi tietyissä poikkeustapauksissa) tai häneltä selvästi puuttuvat viran hoitoon tarvittavat edellytykset.

The diocesan chapter must prepare an election proposal for a direct parish priest election and an opinion for indirect parish priest and vicar elections.

Tuomiokapituli voi tietyin perustein jatkaa hakuaikaa, aloittaa uuden hakumenettelyn, jättää viran täyttämättä tai julistaa kirkkoherran tai kappalaisen viran uudelleen haettavaksi.

After a parish priest election becomes final, the chapter must appoint the top vote-getter. Some candidates may apply for another parish priest or chaplain office, and a candidate appointed to multiple offices must promptly tell the chapter which office they accept.

The chapter sends applicant documents and opinions to the parish, appoints a person to prepare the indirect parish pastor election, and the parish council or parish council committee chooses the officeholder from the qualified applicants.

After an indirect election for a church office, the deciding church body must send the application papers and minutes extract to the diocesan chapter, and the selected person must promptly say which office they accept if appointed to more than one. The diocesan chapter issues the appointment after the decision becomes final.

The diocesan chapter may, at a parish’s request, give a fixed-term permit to obtain priestly services without filling the church pastor office, and it may revoke that permit for a special reason.

Kanttori is responsible for the parish’s music activities, and a cathedral parish must have a post requiring the highest qualification level set by the Church Administration. The Church Administration may grant eligibility for a cantor post to a person with equivalent knowledge and skills.

Lehtori performs church teaching and pastoral care work, the church council or parish council fills the post and requests an order from the chapter, and the lehtori may take a pastoral examination.

Tuomiokapituli may grant the right to act as a lector on application if the person has a university theology degree accepted as a qualification requirement, and it assesses the applicant’s suitability for parish service.

Lehtorin hiippakunta määräytyy sen mukaan, mistä tuomiokapitulista hän on saanut viranhoitomääräyksen tai oikeuden toimia yhteisön palveluksessa.

Certain church bodies may propose establishing a joint parish office, and the cost-sharing basis is confirmed when the establishment decision is made.

The provision says the joint indirect election of the shared parish pastor is held in a joint meeting, and the parish councils or parish board councils decide on matters about filling and holding the shared office in a joint meeting unless another rule says otherwise.

Tuomiokapituli may grant, on application, a priest or lecturer the right to work in the service of a Christian association, community, or foundation.

Tuomiokapituli may set the date for exceptional parish elections, and it may delay elections if a parish-division change is pending by the end of August in the election year.

The parish election board must be set up by May in the election year, and it handles parish elections; the parish council or parish board appoints its chair, and the board chooses a vice-chair at its first meeting.

The central election committee may also publish an election notice or announcement as a joint notice if it must be published in a newspaper, unless church law says otherwise.

Vaalilautakunnan tai keskusvaalitoimikunnan on laadittava äänioikeutettujen luettelo.

The voter list for church elections must be checked by at least two election committee members, corrected for missing or wrong entries, signed, and then left unchanged except for specified later corrections.

The voters list must be made available for inspection under supervision for at least four hours on two consecutive weekdays after the inspection period, not on Saturday, and the notice about this availability must be published in time.

The electoral committee must handle objections about the voters list at the specified meeting times and mark the list as final once it becomes legally final.

When a parish is divided into voting districts, it must prepare a notification card for each eligible voter on the list, and the election board must send the cards no later than 30 days before election day for voters whose address is known.

Vaalilautakunnan on laadittava ehdokasasettelua koskeva kuulutus ja julkaistava se useissa paikoissa määräaikoihin mennessä.

An electoral association may nominate candidates in parish elections if at least ten entitled parish members founded it.

A candidate association may nominate only limited numbers of candidates and may propose a list name, but the name must include “ehdokaslista” and must not be improper, misleading, or duplicate another association’s name.

Valitsijayhdistyksen perustamisasiakirja on tehtävä päivätyksi ja allekirjoitetuksi, ja siihen sekä sen liitteisiin on sisällytettävä tietyt tiedot ja vakuutukset.

Valitsijayhdistyksen perustamisasiakirja liitteineen on toimitettava määräpaikkaan viimeistään 15. syyskuuta ennen kello 16, ja toimitilan on oltava auki vähintään neljä tuntia etukäteen.

Vaalilautakunnan on tarkastettava perustamisasiakirjat määräaikaan mennessä, hylättävä myöhässä jätetty asiakirja tutkimatta ja ilmoitettava sekä huomautuksista että oikaisumahdollisuuksista asianomaisille.

Certain voters’ association representatives may correct and supplement nomination documents by 1 October before 16:00, and the election board must remove uncorrected candidate entries if required.

The election board must decide certain corrected foundation documents, update candidate lists, draw up the combined candidate list, and number candidates in the specified order.

Candidate list combinations must show the election name, required candidate details, keep candidate information limited, and match the ballot color.

The candidate list combination must be published online, posted on the parish notice board if needed, notified in the newspaper, and kept available until the election ends.

The election board must decide several election-preparation matters, including polling places, advance-voting officers, advance-voting notices, election assistants, and, when needed, advance vote counters. A candidate and certain close relatives may not serve as election officers or assistants.

Seurakuntavaalien äänestyslipun on oltava tietyssä koossa ja ulkoasussa, sen on turvattava vaalisalaisuus, ja Kirkkohallitus tai vaalilautakunta huolehtii lipun painattamisesta tilanteesta riippuen.

Advance voting starts on the Tuesday after the first Sunday in November and runs until Saturday of that week. The election board must publish a notice of advance voting times and places, and it must also be announced in a newspaper by the deadline.

Advance voting must use the ballot paper, ballot envelope, cover letter form, and forwarding envelope prepared by the church council.

Advance voters must register with the election official and prove their identity.

A voter may vote for a candidate on the candidate list of the parish where the voter is registered, must mark the ballot clearly and in a way that preserves ballot secrecy, and may get assistance when voting.

The letter of transmission must be addressed to the parish election board, and the voter must personally sign a declaration in the presence of an election official.