Kati Niemelä
Biographic Data
| ID | 85923 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kati Niemelä |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kati |
| FAMILY NAME | Niemelä |
| SIGNATURE | NIEMELÄ K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Eastern Finland |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2306-1650 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 16 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Why Are Young Men Increasingly Drawn to Christianity? A Study of Finnish Young Men
Recent surveys in the Global North suggest a possible reversal in established gender patterns of religiosity, with young men increasingly engaging with Christianity. This study examines this development in Finland, a highly secular country, drawing on qualitative individual and small‐group interviews with 30 men attracted to Christianity. Our analysis identifies multiple, overlapping reasons for this engagement. Some reflect long‐standing religio…
What frames continuity and discontinuity of religion in families? A mixed-methods study of Finnish families in international comparison
Religious agency as a lens on transforming religious socialization in Finnish families
Although rarely defined, religious agency is considered pertinent for investigating how religion transforms as a result of agency-structure interplay. This study contributes to these discussions, employing religious agency as a lens to examine how family members negotiate religious socialization in a secularizing Finland. The analysis of 17 family interviews demonstrated that individuals exercise religious agency in both their negotiation of indi…
Factors associated with psychological distress of workers in the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church
Even though we found some protective factors, the share of workers with severe distress was higher in all profession groups of the ELCF than in the general population. Loneliness was the strongest stressor among both genders and high mental strain among women. The result may reflect unconscious mental strain or subordination to the prevailing working conditions. More attention should be paid to the mental wellbeing and work conditions of church e…
Safety and Closeness in Religious Socialization
In this study, we analyze how do safety and closeness, or the lack of them, affect religious socialization in Finnish families. Our empirical data consist of family interviews and a large survey data. As a result, three key dimensions were found: 1) the atmosphere in families, 2) the atmosphere related to religious communities, and 3) the atmosphere related to one’s own spirituality. Our study suggests several implications both for practice in re…
Health and Well-Being of Church Musicians during the Covid-19 Pandemic—Experiences of Health and Work-Related Distress from Musicians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland
Earlier research has revealed contrasting gender results in standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for cancers and cardiovascular diseases of Finnish church musicians compared with the general population. In order to better understand the SMRs, our study examined gender differences in health and work-related experiences of church musicians with special focus on experienced stress and burnout on the one hand, and work engagement and mental well-being…
Religious upbringing and other religious influences among young adults and changes in faith in the transition to adulthood
The focus of this article is on religious transmission in families and other religious influences among young adults and their linkage to changes in faith in transition to adulthood. The special interest lies in the question of what happens to those with no religious upbringing at home: are there other factors which may turn out as meaningful and contribute to religious growth when parents are not active in giving religious upbringing? The study …
Death Attitudes in Clergy Work
In this study, the focus is on death attitudes among the clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and their role in clergy work. The aim is to find out whether these attitudes have any practical relevance in clergy work and to see if the death attitudes are linked to the work orientation and wellbeing among the clergy. The death attitudes are measured by the Death Attitude Profile-Revised DAP-R (N=650). The results show that death att…
Clergy Work Orientation Profiles and Wellbeing at Work
This study examines work orientation and its connections to wellbeing at work among the clergy. Using k-means clustering, the article aims to build a typology of clergy members' work orientation and analyze wellbeing at work among different types of clergy members. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2014 among the clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (N = 562). The results of the study show that the clergy have clear and …
‘No longer believing in belonging’
The prevailing attitude to the national churches in the Nordic countries has often been described as ‘believing in belonging’. Based on a longitudinal survey data, this article argues that this notion no longer applies to the younger generation, often referred to as Generation Y. Instead, they are challenging traditional reasons for belonging to national churches. The number of church-leavers has been unusually high in Finland since the beginning…
Religion in Newspapers in The Nordic Countries in 1988–2008
This article examines the coverage of religion in Nordic newspapers during 1988, 1998 and 2008. Through quantitative analyses of 5,000 articles in 14 newspapers, we examine the differences between the five Nordic countries and changes from 1988 to 2008. The results show that the coverage of the Lutheran majority churches in newspapers is generally declining, especially in Sweden. This is the case also during major Christian holidays. Newspapers p…
Coverage of Religion in The Media In Nordic Countries In 1988–2008 Conclusion
The four preceding articles in this volume of the Nordic Journal of Religion and Society were about the coverage of religion in the Nordic media and are related to the ongoing research programme entitled «The role of religion in the public sphere: A comparative study of the five Nordic countries» (NOREL). The overall research aim of the programme is to provide an outline of the changing role of religion in the public sphere since the late 1980s, …
Female Clergy as Agents of Religious Change
This article focuses on female clergy as potential agents of change in the Church. I argue that the adoption of female clergy is one of the main factors that cause the Church to change its practices, policies and theological orientation. The first female ministers were ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in 1988. This is fairly late compared to other Nordic countries. However, the number of female ministers and female students …
Alienated Or Disappointed Reasons For Leaving The Church In Finland
At the Intersection of Faith and Life
English The author examines the status of faith among Church employees in Finland using a narrative research approach. In such an approach the basis of analysis lies in the meanings of the chain of events. In this study the aim is to explore the core narrative of an individual's faith. The core narratives are seen as the framework for a person's faith, from the perspective from which one deals with issues of religion and faith. The study is based…
The quality and effectiveness of confirmation classes in Finland
Every year some 90% of 15‐year‐olds in Finland attend confirmation classes in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which is greater than the percentage of that age group belonging to the Church. What is behind the popularity of Finnish confirmation classes? This article scrutinizes the quality and effectiveness of confirmation classes. Classes and their quality are approached from three angles: (1) equivalence of confirmation expectations …
Female Clergy as Agents of Religious Change
This article focuses on female clergy as potential agents of change in the Church. I argue that the adoption of female clergy is one of the main factors that cause the Church to change its practices, policies and theological orientation. The first female ministers were ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in 1988. This is fairly late compared to other Nordic countries. However, the number of female ministers and female students …
Clergy Work Orientation Profiles and Wellbeing at Work
This study examines work orientation and its connections to wellbeing at work among the clergy. Using k-means clustering, the article aims to build a typology of clergy members' work orientation and analyze wellbeing at work among different types of clergy members. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2014 among the clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (N = 562). The results of the study show that the clergy have clear and …
What frames continuity and discontinuity of religion in families? A mixed-methods study of Finnish families in international comparison
The quality and effectiveness of confirmation classes in Finland
Every year some 90% of 15‐year‐olds in Finland attend confirmation classes in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which is greater than the percentage of that age group belonging to the Church. What is behind the popularity of Finnish confirmation classes? This article scrutinizes the quality and effectiveness of confirmation classes. Classes and their quality are approached from three angles: (1) equivalence of confirmation expectations …
Alienated Or Disappointed Reasons For Leaving The Church In Finland
At the Intersection of Faith and Life
English The author examines the status of faith among Church employees in Finland using a narrative research approach. In such an approach the basis of analysis lies in the meanings of the chain of events. In this study the aim is to explore the core narrative of an individual's faith. The core narratives are seen as the framework for a person's faith, from the perspective from which one deals with issues of religion and faith. The study is based…
Female Clergy as Agents of Religious Change
This article focuses on female clergy as potential agents of change in the Church. I argue that the adoption of female clergy is one of the main factors that cause the Church to change its practices, policies and theological orientation. The first female ministers were ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in 1988. This is fairly late compared to other Nordic countries. However, the number of female ministers and female students …
Religion in Newspapers in The Nordic Countries in 1988–2008
This article examines the coverage of religion in Nordic newspapers during 1988, 1998 and 2008. Through quantitative analyses of 5,000 articles in 14 newspapers, we examine the differences between the five Nordic countries and changes from 1988 to 2008. The results show that the coverage of the Lutheran majority churches in newspapers is generally declining, especially in Sweden. This is the case also during major Christian holidays. Newspapers p…
Coverage of Religion in The Media In Nordic Countries In 1988–2008 Conclusion
The four preceding articles in this volume of the Nordic Journal of Religion and Society were about the coverage of religion in the Nordic media and are related to the ongoing research programme entitled «The role of religion in the public sphere: A comparative study of the five Nordic countries» (NOREL). The overall research aim of the programme is to provide an outline of the changing role of religion in the public sphere since the late 1980s, …
‘No longer believing in belonging’
The prevailing attitude to the national churches in the Nordic countries has often been described as ‘believing in belonging’. Based on a longitudinal survey data, this article argues that this notion no longer applies to the younger generation, often referred to as Generation Y. Instead, they are challenging traditional reasons for belonging to national churches. The number of church-leavers has been unusually high in Finland since the beginning…
Clergy Work Orientation Profiles and Wellbeing at Work
This study examines work orientation and its connections to wellbeing at work among the clergy. Using k-means clustering, the article aims to build a typology of clergy members' work orientation and analyze wellbeing at work among different types of clergy members. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2014 among the clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (N = 562). The results of the study show that the clergy have clear and …
Death Attitudes in Clergy Work
In this study, the focus is on death attitudes among the clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and their role in clergy work. The aim is to find out whether these attitudes have any practical relevance in clergy work and to see if the death attitudes are linked to the work orientation and wellbeing among the clergy. The death attitudes are measured by the Death Attitude Profile-Revised DAP-R (N=650). The results show that death att…
Religious upbringing and other religious influences among young adults and changes in faith in the transition to adulthood
The focus of this article is on religious transmission in families and other religious influences among young adults and their linkage to changes in faith in transition to adulthood. The special interest lies in the question of what happens to those with no religious upbringing at home: are there other factors which may turn out as meaningful and contribute to religious growth when parents are not active in giving religious upbringing? The study …
Health and Well-Being of Church Musicians during the Covid-19 Pandemic—Experiences of Health and Work-Related Distress from Musicians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland
Earlier research has revealed contrasting gender results in standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for cancers and cardiovascular diseases of Finnish church musicians compared with the general population. In order to better understand the SMRs, our study examined gender differences in health and work-related experiences of church musicians with special focus on experienced stress and burnout on the one hand, and work engagement and mental well-being…
Safety and Closeness in Religious Socialization
In this study, we analyze how do safety and closeness, or the lack of them, affect religious socialization in Finnish families. Our empirical data consist of family interviews and a large survey data. As a result, three key dimensions were found: 1) the atmosphere in families, 2) the atmosphere related to religious communities, and 3) the atmosphere related to one’s own spirituality. Our study suggests several implications both for practice in re…
Factors associated with psychological distress of workers in the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church
Even though we found some protective factors, the share of workers with severe distress was higher in all profession groups of the ELCF than in the general population. Loneliness was the strongest stressor among both genders and high mental strain among women. The result may reflect unconscious mental strain or subordination to the prevailing working conditions. More attention should be paid to the mental wellbeing and work conditions of church e…
What frames continuity and discontinuity of religion in families? A mixed-methods study of Finnish families in international comparison
Religious agency as a lens on transforming religious socialization in Finnish families
Although rarely defined, religious agency is considered pertinent for investigating how religion transforms as a result of agency-structure interplay. This study contributes to these discussions, employing religious agency as a lens to examine how family members negotiate religious socialization in a secularizing Finland. The analysis of 17 family interviews demonstrated that individuals exercise religious agency in both their negotiation of indi…
Why Are Young Men Increasingly Drawn to Christianity? A Study of Finnish Young Men
Recent surveys in the Global North suggest a possible reversal in established gender patterns of religiosity, with young men increasingly engaging with Christianity. This study examines this development in Finland, a highly secular country, drawing on qualitative individual and small‐group interviews with 30 men attracted to Christianity. Our analysis identifies multiple, overlapping reasons for this engagement. Some reflect long‐standing religio…
Sociology (10 works) · Religion and Society Interactions (9 works) · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology (8 works) · Gender Studies (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Religion, Society, and Development (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Faith (4 works)