Start the clip to hear Johan Arenius, pastor and director of Immanuel Church in Örebro, talk about the membership decision.
Immanuel Church in Örebro is one of 290 Free Church congregations in Sweden that are part of the Evangelical Free Church community.
So far, none of the churches in the community have married same-sex couples, but after yesterday's vote in Immanuel Church, they will now be the first congregation to change this.
On the table were two proposals for a new parish order.
What separated them was the section on marriage.
80 percent of members voted in favor of the proposal that includes same-sex marriage.
- It feels good, it has been a process for several years, so it is nice that we have reached a decision, says Johan Arenius, pastor of Immanuel Church.
I don't think there will be a big loss of membership
The community that Immanuel Church is a part of has ongoing work where they investigate whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry or not.
But Immanuel Church in Örebro chose to go ahead of that process.
However, there are still no same-sex couples waiting to be married within the parish.
- No, and I'm happy about that.
I think it is good that we have dealt with this matter before it becomes urgent or that it becomes clear that it concerns someone or some people.
On the other hand, we have people in the congregation for whom it may become relevant in the coming years.
Do you think you will lose members on this?
- I can imagine that one or two will feel homeless in this.
Therefore, the group that is now in the majority needs to be respectful towards the group that is in the minority in this matter, says Johan Arenius.
Gender neutral team since 2009
In 2009, the marriage code became gender-neutral and Sweden's largest community, the Church of Sweden, said yes to same-sex marriage even then.
However, individual priests within the Church of Sweden are not obliged to marry homosexual couples.
The community Equmeniakyrkan has previously decided that each individual congregation may take a position on whether they should marry same-sex couples.