| Administrative History | The Church of Sweden Mission was founded in 1874 and has since then been the extended arm of the Church of Sweden in its mission in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The first missionaries of the Church of Sweden Mission went to South Africa and India in 1876. They were soon followed by others who set out for Zimbabwe, China and Tanzania. The churches that were built up with the help of the Church of Sweden at the beginning of the twentieth century are now independent and have their own leadership. During recent years the Mission has also established forms of cooperation with other churches and Christian organisations. One of the objectives of the Church of Sweden Mission is to decrease the financial dependency of the churches with which it works and to increase the influence these churches can exert over the priorities of the mission. The goal is mutual benefit and equality in relationships.
Reference: The Church of Sweden Mission, History:
http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/skm/skemg.htm#history, accessed April 2002. |
| Custodial History | This collection was formerly held by the Selly Oak Colleges Library although the original provenance is unknown. It was then transferred to the Orchard Learning Resources Centre which was opened in 1997 following the merger of the Selly Oak Colleges Library and the Westhill College Library. In 2000, the custodianship of all archive collections held at the Orchard Learning Resources Centre was transferred to the University of Birmingham |