Explore
Find a church that feels like home
Churches worship in very different ways, from ancient chanted liturgies to informal services with a band. On this map, traditions that worship alike sit close together. Pick one to see what a service is like, which traditions are closest, and where to find them in Stockholm.
Bubble size shows how many congregations we list; the dotted lines join the selected tradition to its three closest. Position comes from ten worship-style dimensions (see the rubric below). It describes how people worship, not which church is “right”.
Protestant
Church of Sweden
The national Lutheran church (Svenska kyrkan). It has a parish church in every neighbourhood, a strong choral tradition, and German- and Finnish-speaking parishes in Stockholm.
Closest in worship style
In Stockholm (104)
- Järfälla församling
- Sollentuna församling
- Skarpnäcks församling
- Hägerstens församling
- Västermalms församling
- Västerås Lundby församling
- Farsta församling
- Nacka församling
- Täby församling
- Botkyrka församling
- Österhaninge församling
- Västerås domkyrkoförsamling
- Bromma församling
- Engelbrekts församling
- Kungsängen-Västra Ryds församling
- Spånga-Kista församling
- Katarina församling
- Hedvig Eleonora och Oscars församling
- Sofia församling
- S:t Matteus församling
- Vällingby församling
- Högalids församling
- Flemingsberg-Vårby församling
- Enskede-Årsta församling
First visit?
What to expect at a Church of Sweden service
- How long
- About an hour.
- Standing & sitting
- Stand for hymns and the Gospel, sit for the readings and sermon.
- Communion
- All baptised Christians are welcome to receive Communion, children too.
- If you belong to another church
- Your own church may have its own rule. The Catholic Church asks Catholics not to receive Communion in Protestant churches, and Orthodox churches ask the same of Orthodox Christians, even though you are welcome here. If that applies to you, come forward with arms crossed over the chest for a blessing, or simply stay seated. Everyone can join in the prayers and hymns.
- What to wear
- No dress code.
- Good to know
- Hymn numbers are shown on boards at the front, and the hymnal (psalmbok) is in the pews. Church coffee (kyrkkaffe) often follows.
How the map is made — the rubric
Each tradition gets a score from 0 to 4 on ten aspects of worship style, based on its published liturgies and service books and on descriptions by the Christian Council of Sweden. Traditions with similar profiles are placed close together, using multidimensional scaling. The scores are editorial approximations: individual parishes vary a lot. Corrections are welcome.
- Fixed rite
- 0 = Free order · 4 = Fixed ancient rite
- Eucharist
- 0 = Occasional · 4 = Every service
- Sacramental
- 0 = Symbolic · 4 = Strongly sacramental
- Church year
- 0 = Little observed · 4 = Feasts & fasts
- Liturgical language
- 0 = Everyday language · 4 = Ancient language
- Music
- 0 = Contemporary band · 4 = Chant
- Ceremonial
- 0 = Plain · 4 = Vestments
- Charismatic
- 0 = Reserved · 4 = Spontaneous & charismatic
- Preaching
- 0 = Short homily · 4 = Sermon-centred
- Baptism
- 0 = Believers only · 4 = Infants