Lutherhjälpen som försvann

Sammanfattning: For several decades Lutherhjälpen was the primary tool of the Church of Sweden for international aid and assistance. The organization grew strong in 1950s and by the 1970s it had agents in all Church of Sweden parishes and working links with both the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches. As part of the consolidation of Church of Sweden from the 1980s and onwards Lutherhjälpen or, with the formal name, the Lutheran World Federation, Swedish Section with Lutherhjälpen, gradually moved closer to Church of Sweden Mission and Church of Sweden and became an organizational part of Church of Sweden. This development can be seen as finalized by 2013, which marks the end of the period studied in this thesis. The name Lutherhjälpen was not used after 2008 but was replaced by “Church of Sweden – international work”, and varieties of this name.This study aims at understanding why and how this development took place, how it was interpreted by different actors and affected, and what consequences this process possibly has had. The study builds on three different forms of sources, namely written material, interviews and autoethnography.The author has himself been involved in the developments as inter alia board member of Lutherhjälpen and moderator of the Church of Sweden National Board, which has made it important to discuss problems and advantages relating to such a closeness and has led to the decision to include an autoethnographic part in the study. The change of name can also be seen as a consequence of the active branding processes within the Church of Sweden initiated after the disestablishment of the Church of Sweden by January 2000. Therefore a discussion about branding and brand names forms an important part of the study.