These are subject to farther governance across a synodal & episcopal structure, altogether according to the section of Norway into Eleven episcopate, viz.: Oslo, seated around Oslo, also covers Asker and Bærum (Bishop Ole Christian Kvarme) Borg, seated around Fredrikstad covering areas southeast of Oslo (Bishop Helga Haugland Byfuglien) Hamar, seated around Hamar covering most of the inl& areas n and east of Oslo (Bishop Rosemarie Köhn) Tunsberg, seated within Tønsberg covering coastal areas just sou'west of Oslo & washington (Bishop Laila Riksaasen Dahl) Agder og Telemark, seated inside Kristiansand covering Southeastern Norway (Bishop Olav Skjevesland) Stavanger, seated inside Stavanger covering Southwestern Norway (Bishop Oddvar Baasland) Bjørgvin, seated within Bergen covering parts of American Norway (Bishop Ole D. Hagesæther) Møre, seated around Molde covering northern parts of American Norway (Bishop Odd Bondevik) Nidaros, seated in Trondheim, covering Trøndelag (Bishop Finn Wagle) Sør-Hålogaland, seated in Bodø, covering southern areas of Northern Norway (Bishop Øystein I. Larsen) Nord-Hålogaland, seated in Tromsø, covering the rest of Northern Norway (Bishop Per Oskar Kjølaas)

A General Synod is convened another time a year when a greatest representative body of a church. It consists of 85 representatives, of which Septet or even Eighter from either decatur come sent from both of the episcopate. a single, Quatern come lay members of the church, appointed per congregations; One occurs as lay member appointed by Church employees; one member of the clergy, appointed by his/her peers; a representative from either the Sami community in a two northmost bishopric; & the bishop. Additionally, representatives from either either a triplet theological seminaries of a church, representatives from the Youth Council, & more members of the National Council come members.

A '''Bishops' Conference convenes threefold a year and consists of the eleven bishops in the church. These are the deliberative persin that issues opinions on various issues related to church life, theological issues, etc.

A National Council''' is convened 5 days a year & is comprised of Xv members, of which Ten come lay members, quartet come clergy, and 1 occurs as bishop. It prepares matters for guide-making elsewhere & puts into consequence people decisions. A National Council likewise hwhen working & ad hoc groups as a share of its mandate, including people addressing issues like church, education, youth issues, etc.

A church besides convenes committees & councils each at a subject, episcopate, & local levels, addressing specific issues to education, ecumenical matters, a Sami minority, & youth.

There are 1,600 Church of Norway churches & chapels. A united states is geographically divided into 1,298 parishes, Hundred deaneries & rural deaneries & Xi bishopric. Parish act is led by the pastor & an elective parish council.

History

A Church of Norway traces its origins to the introduction of Christianity to Norway in the 800s. It took many century years to convert Norway to Christianity, culminating in the Battle of Stiklestad. Per prevent of a 1100s, the Roman Catholic archbishopric of Nidaros (within now's Trondheim) covered completely of Norway, area of Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, the Isle of Man, the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, the Faeroe Islands, and a Hebrides.

A Reformation inside Norway was complete inside 1537 whilst Christian III of Denmark decreed Lutheranism as a official religion of Norway & Denmark. A crown took above spirituality, & a select few churches were destroyed or even abandoned. This created the integration between church & state that in todays world's arrangement reflects.

When 1660 clergy were appointed civil servants by the ruling monarch, however theological issues were left to the hierarchy of bishops & more clergy.

A pharisaical movement inside Norway (embodied heavily of Hans Nielsen Hauge) served to reduce the few feet away between lay & clergy within Norway, which persists to this day. Around 1873 lay congregational meetings were accepted in church life, though at the start by owning limited influence. Unofficial plenary sessions took place each more season, & fallowing 1982 these became official area of church life.

When Vidkun Quisling wwhen made head of state per Nazi occupiers, a huge majority of Norwegian clergy & completely Norwegian bishops disassociated themselves from either the food and drug administration, stating that it would sole work as pastors for their congregations. A bishops were interned for the duration of the war, however congregational life continued some when most common.

Since Globe War II, a total of structural changes keep close at hand taken place inside the Church of Norway, mostly to institutionalize lay participation in the life of the church.

Current issues

There exists continuous discussion all about separating church & state inside Norway, though there appears to become a majority two within a Storting & the public to maintain it. When virtually all Norwegians utilize a church lone for lifecycle cases, a great numbers of appreciate a tradition & institutions of the church. A church likewise functions inside several legal actions as a provider of welfare work of pis aller, & local clergy typically play significant social roles outside their spiritual & ritual responsibilities. Within 2004 a survey conducted by Opinion AS showed that sole 47% of the answerer actually considered themselves Christians. [http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article767903.ece]

Certain bishops' stance in whether homosexual & lesbians may help when pastors is too under continuous debate [http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1063765.ece]

A church has too weighed around inside political issues occasionally, & this has resulted in considerable contention.