Lahti weighs new church against flexible parish centre

Lahti’s Salpausselkä Parish is considering whether to replace its church with a new church or a more adaptable parish centre, Yle reports. The existing church has been taken out of use and will be demolished because of indoor air quality problems.

Parish vicar Sari Kuirinlahti supports building a new church, while the parish executive board is also considering a parish centre. A working group is due to make a proposal by the end of next year.

Kuirinlahti says a sacred church building is at the heart of parish life, bringing generations together for weddings, baptisms, confirmation ceremonies and funerals. “Shared moments in a sacred place strengthen family ties,” she said.

Jukka-Pekka Penttinen, property manager for the parish union, says a parish centre could serve as a church but would be easier to manage and adapt. Spaces in a building designed as a parish centre can be changed more readily, and construction and future alterations require fewer permits. Building an official church requires approval from the Church Council of Finland.

Every parish must have an official church. Salpausselkä Parish currently uses the chapel at the Western Cemetery as a temporary church; it could become the parish’s official church. Kuirinlahti says the chapel is beautiful but is not fully accessible, and making it accessible could be expensive or impossible.

Niklas Turku, property manager at the Church Council of Finland, says other communities are facing similar questions when planning new buildings. In Kouvola, however, the central church, which has indoor air quality problems, is to be renovated.

Turku says churches are increasingly being adapted for multiple uses, including activities for children and older people. Renovations often require a statement from the Finnish Heritage Agency and permission from the Church Council of Finland. He adds that an official church can also host different activities, and that each parish is best placed to assess its own needs.

Salpausselkä Parish has more than 10,000 members. Kuirinlahti says parishioners want a smaller, calmer church with spaces for children and young people. She worries that the cemetery chapel would be less likely than a new church to attract younger people.

Penttinen says many parishes have more properties than they need and are trying to sell or otherwise relinquish some of them. About 30 per cent of parish funds are tied up in buildings, according to the Church Council of Finland. Turku says more money should go to parish work, including youth and elder care and diaconal services.

Kuirinlahti argues that savings should come from administrative premises rather than places of worship that matter to parishioners. The parish council is expected to decide on the new building by the end of next year, and construction could begin in 2029.