The Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark

Origins
The Church Association for the Inner Mission in Denmark (in danish is this home mission called: The Inner Mission) has its historical roots in the Reformation period and the revivals of the 1800’s.
The Inner Mission was founded in 1861. From its very beginning the movement has emphasized two important aspects of its work. Firstly the movement is a church based movement, where believing pa-stors and laypeople work together. Secondly, the movement aim at bringing about a revival in the Christian faith and creating a fellowship of believers in the Communion of Saints.
Today the Inner Mission is the largest revival movement within the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Basis
The Inner Mission has as its basis the Bible and the Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church’s articles of confession. The movement stresses the importance of the Bible as the Word of God and a clear Lutheran understanding of the Sacraments. The Inner Mission is therefore a non-ecumenical movement.

Objectives
The Inner Mission has the twin objectives of reviving and preserving faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
The movement’s objective is to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Danish people so that the person is made aware of his or her state of perdition, and how, throgh Jesus Christ, each person can find forgiveness, new life and hope. The Inner Mission calls people to a personal faith and commitment in Jesus Christ and to share a new life in Him. The movement encourages and strengthens this faith and commitment through a warm and active Christian fellowship.

Work and activities
The Inner Mission seeks to achieve its objectives by means of a wide range of interlinked activities throughout Denmark. These activities are primarily organized at local level by fellowship committees.

Local activities mainly take place in and out of missionhouses owned by the Inner Mission, but churches, parish halls and private homes are also used. Activities cover all groups – children, young-sters, families, adults and the elderly. Such local activities would include, amongst other things, Bible study groups, meetings and weekend camps. At both local and national level, the Inner Mission also organizes special courses, larger meetings and conferences, summer camps and Bible-camping holidays with Bible classes and revival meetings.

Support Staff
Much of the Inner Mission’s work is accomplished with the help of thousands of voluntary workers. To support and inspire this voluntary effort the Inner Mission employ a staff with various functions.
At the centre of this support work are the home-missionaries who preach the Gospel, undertake house visits, provide pastoral care and distribute Christian literature to strengthen the local work. Various assistent-missionaries are also employed and work under the leadership of the local home-missionary.
In addition, the Inner Mission also employs special advisors who have responsibility for musical activities and child and youth work at regional and national levels.

Commercial Activities
The Inner Mission has a number of commercial activities which are located in the movement’s head-office in Fredericia:

The Book Publishing House Lohse
The Music Publishing House Refleks musik
Felix Travel Agency
IMedia (video films, slideshows, tape recordings etc.)

The Inner Mission also owns two hotels – one in Copenhagen and one located in attractive countryside areas (Fyn), and a three-star camping site in Southeast-Jutland.
The Inner Mission has its own Bible school in Børkop, where students are given a Bible-based education and leadership training. A number of other schools are also affiliated to the Inner Mission, for example folk high schools and schools of futher education.

Head-office and board
The Inner Mission is led by a board of pastors and laypeople. The day-to-day management is centred at ‘Indre Missions Hus’ – the movement’s head-office in Fredericia. Here the work is presided over by a general-secretary who is assisted by a team of undersecretaries responsible for the various functions and activities, for example music, child and youth work. The head-office is also responsible for administration and finance.
Head-office also publishes a weekly magazine, called ‘Indre Missions Tidende’, which is the movement’s main organ. The magazine has a preaching, educational and informational aim.

Head-Office
Indre Missions Hus
Korskærvej 25
DK-7000 Fredericia
telefon +45 75926100
telefax +45 75926146