The Swedish Church's Learning and Teaching Prize was established by the Church of Sweden to encourage Christian education. Rev. Thomas Pfitzinger-Drewes, pastor of Hagfors pastorate in Karlstad Diocese and a group of educators of the Forsa-Högs parish in Uppsala Diocese are the first recipients of the prize.
Uppsala Cathedral, Church of Sweden. Photo: CC-BY-NC-ND/Andreas Larsen
Recognizes outstanding teachers in the church
(LWI) - Two educators in the Church of Sweden (CoS) were the first recipients of the new Swedish Church Learning and Teaching Prize this month.
The Swedish Church's Learning and Teaching Prize was established in 2021 by the CoS Church Council to encourage Christian education. The prize can be awarded to an individual, a group or a congregation in the Church of Sweden. The EUR 4,569 prize will be awarded every two years.
Forsa-Högs parish recipients of The Swedish Church's Learning and Teaching Prize. Photo: Church of Sweden
Rev. Thomas Pfitzinger-Drewes, pastor of Hagfors pastorate in Karlstad Diocese and a group of educators of the Forsa-Högs parish in Uppsala Diocese are the first recipients to receive the prize.
“Thomas Pfitzinger-Drewes has demonstrated a new way of teaching based on the church building, and the Forsa-Högs parish has shown that with solid teamwork, it is possible to achieve fantastic results,” said Sören Dalevi, Bishop of Karlstad Diocese and a member of the prize evaluation committee.
Pfitzinger-Drewes was awarded for introducing the Church Education method, in Sweden, nearly 15 years ago. Church Education is an educational method originally developed in Germany, that takes students on sensory walks – using all five senses - to experience and discover the physical church space and its meaning. The Church Education website reads, “We want people, without any requirement of prior knowledge or religiosity, to be able to get to know the church with all their senses.”
It is, therefore, extremely gratifying that we are now able to award the Church of Sweden's Learning and Teaching Prize to two laureates who have made great contributions in this area.
Bishop Sören Dalevi, member of the prize evaluation committee.
Church Education has become widely used as a way of teaching about Christian faith, tradition and the cultural heritage of the church building. Today, there are nearly 60 trained church educators in this method in Sweden.
Rev. Thomas Pfitzinger-Drewes recipient of The Swedish Church's Learning and Teaching Prize. Photo: Church of Sweden
The second recipient is the Forsa-Högs parish in Hudiksvall municipality, Uppsala diocese.
The parish is awarded for its clear and coherent work with the whole parish as a learning environment. The educational activities range from children to the elderly and involve staff, volunteers and elected representatives. The work is carried out in close cooperation with other actors in the local community and with a sensitivity to the needs of the community. One result is that the parish has increased the percentage of confirmed 15-year-old members to 73 percent, up from 33 percent.
The award acknowledges the value of passing on knowledge about faith and tradition to both the church and to society at large.
“It is, therefore, extremely gratifying that we are now able to award the Church of Sweden's Learning and Teaching Prize to two laureates who have made great contributions in this area," Dalevi remarked.
The award will be presented to the winners on 22 November at a ceremony during the second session of the Church Council.
