Församlingen som sakrament : Dop, medlemskap och ekumenik bland frikyrkokristna vid 1900-talets slut

Sammanfattning: In the dissertation Free Church ecclesiology is examined from the point of view of three themes: faith, baptism and membership with certain concern for ecumenical experience.The essential source material in the dissertation consists of 30 qualified interviews with members from five Swedish Free Church denominations. The result of these interviews have been related to a broader Free Church context in history and the contemporary situation.In connection with these considerations a thesis about the congregation as a kind of sacrament has been applied to the material, specifically what relates to the significance of being a member of the congregation. The congregation as life form is verified through the congregation’s fellowship/communio as expressed in participation. This becomes an effective sign and instrument for the presence of Christ through the congregation in the world. The process of unity occurring within Swedish Free Church life is related to a mutual interpretation of the congregation as participant in the presence and work of Christ. The continouous process toward unity which has taken place between Free Church denominations with respect to distinctive teaching, not the least concerning baptism, along with praxis and spirituality is interpreted from such participation of the congregation in Christ’s presence and work.