A Legitimate Church Democracy? Legitimacy Work and Democratic Reform During the Separation of Church and State in Norway

Abstract

In 2008, all political parties in the Norwegian Parliament entered into joint agreement by which, through amendments to the Constitution, the relationship between church and state would be radically altered. Central to this agreement was a democratic reform, a prerequisite for the disestablishment of the state church to commence in 2012. Initiated by the government in collaboration with the Church of Norway (CoN), the reform aimed to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the church in relation to its members and focused on measures to increase participation in church elections.1 In 2008, 82 percent of the Norwegian population were members of CoN, resulting in a variety of opinions and theological traditions residing within the CoN. The need for an alteration of the church democracy was debated but not accepted by all factions within the Church. To achieve democratic reform, central leaders in CoN needed to gain legitimacy for its electoral system from both external and internal evaluators. Against this backdrop, and from the perspective of organization and leadership studies, we ask: How did central leaders of the CoN perform legitimacy work as they negotiated ecclesial and political interests through the democratic reform?