SVT News Blekinge has reviewed the annual reports for Karlskrona-Aspö ecclesiastical community over the past ten years - and the economic development is clear.

From having been an economically prosperous and basically debt-free congregation with real estate and securities, there is today almost no buffer at all.

And the explanation is the costly conversion of Fredrikskyrkan to a multifunctional room.

There the final note landed at 135 million - a hundred million more than the original calculation indicated.

- The financial situation is not very good, but I hope we can get it under control. We must carefully analyze the situation and try to find a way forward in this, ”says the vicar-church pastor Eva-Karin Lindgren.

"Must adapt to us"

The audit shows that the congregation ten years ago had approximately SEK 1.5 million in long-term debt.

Today, debt - especially to credit institutions - has grown to around SEK 50 million.

At the same time, the church has sold securities for SEK 40 million and three properties around the Bonde block for a total of about SEK 25 million.

As a result, the equity / assets ratio over the ten years - an assessment of the long-term ability to pay - has fallen by 30 percentage points in recent years only.

Thus, the previously secure existence is today more risky and sensitive to, for example, an interest rate increase.

- We have an economic reality that we now have to adapt to, says Eva-Karin Lindgren, who is currently working on next year's budget.

If it involves staff reductions and a shrinking organization, she cannot answer at this time.

- But clearly, we have to hold back.

Losing members

The church is also facing a situation where the only real source of income in the form of the church fee is decreasing as the membership continues to decline.

In ten years, the City Assembly has lost nearly 3,000 members, and next year the Karlskrona-Aspö pastorate is expected to receive 1.5 million less in church fees than this year.

SVT News Blekinge has previously revealed high salary levels for the church's management and next year the congregation will pay SEK 1.5 million to resolve the procured head of the Per Gustafsson.