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.