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Danish Church

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark
Church of Denmark.svg
Classification Protestant
Orientation Lutheranism
Polity Episcopal
Associations
Region Kingdom of Denmark (including Greenland, excluding Faroe Islands)
Origin 1536
Separated from Roman Catholic Church
Separations
Members 4,368,971 (76%, October 2016)
Official website www.folkekirken.dk (Danish)
www.lutheranchurch.dk (English)
Church of Denmark
year population members percentage
1984 5,113,500 4,684,060 91.6%
1990 5,135,409 4,584,450 89.3%
2000 5,330,500 4,536,422 85.1%
2005 5,413,600 4,498,703 83.3%
2007 5,447,100 4,499,343 82.6%
2008 5,475,791 4,494,589 82.1%
2009 5,511,451 4,492,121 81.5%
2010 5,534,738 4,479,214 80.9%
2011 5,560,628 4,469,109 80.4%
2012 5,580,516 4,454,466 79.8%
2013 5,602,628 4,430,643 79.1%
2014 5,627,235 4,413,825 78.4%
2015 5,659,715 4,400,754 77.8%
2016 5,707,251 4,387,571 76.9%
2017 5,748,769 4,361,518 75.9%
Statistical data: 1984, 1990-2017, Source: Kirkeministeriet

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called Church of Denmark (Danish: Den Danske Folkekirke or Folkekirken, literally: "the People's Church" or "the National Church"), is the established, state-supported church in Denmark. The reigning monarch is the supreme secular authority in the church. As of 1 January 2017, 75.9% of the population of Denmark are members, though membership is voluntary.

Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by Ansgar, Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen. In the 10th century, King Harald Bluetooth became a Christian and began organizing the church, and by the 11th century, Christianity was largely accepted throughout the country. Since the Reformation in Denmark, the Church has been Evangelical Lutheran, while retaining much of its pre-Reformation liturgical traditions. The 1849 Constitution of Denmark designated the church "the Danish people's church" and mandates that the state support it as such.

The Church of Denmark continues to maintain the historical episcopate. Theological authority is vested in bishops: ten bishops in mainland Denmark and one in Greenland, each overseeing a diocese. There is no archbishop; the Bishop of Copenhagen acts as a primus inter pares.


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