Sven Lindström, who led the mission work of the Swedish Baptist Union from 1995 to 2002 and served the country’s free-church movement as a pastor, union secretary and district leader, has died at the age of 88. Born on 20 October 1937, he was set apart as a pastor in the Swedish Baptist Union (Svenska Baptistsamfundet) in 1963 and spent the rest of his working life in church service, including years with the union’s home mission.
His time as mission director covered the union’s 150th anniversary in 1998, a period the tribute describes as one of important conversations about the union’s future and about the way into Christian faith. In 2001 the union adopted the statement known as Vision 2010: “We want to seek God’s will with our lives, and live so that others find God, a personal relationship through Jesus Christ, and with the help of the Spirit break away from the forces that destroy both people and the earth.” For Lindström it was not a vision that stayed on paper.
The tribute is signed by P-O Byrskog, regional church leader of Equmeniakyrkan, by Sören Carlsvärd, a former chair of the Baptist Union, and by Equmeniakyrkan church leader Karin Wiborn. They credit Lindström with helping to initiate the union’s committee for public opinion and human rights, set up to notice and work against destructive forces in society. He took a particular concern for people in vulnerable situations: migration and human rights lay close to his heart, including the welcome given to people from Myanmar who found a home in Baptist congregations and later in Equmeniakyrkan, and he was devoted to the ecumenical accompaniment programme in Israel and Palestine, continuing to interview applicants for accompanier roles long after his retirement. The Red Cross also had a share in his engagement. “Sven was a person who made his mark without raising his voice,” the tribute says. He is survived by his wife Ulla and by the families of their three children.
(Originally published in Swedish. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Equmeniakyrkan / Sändaren — sandaren.se/nyheter/2026/10/05/sven-gjorde-avtryck-utan-att-hoja-rosten
