Bishop Johan Tyrberg

Biography

Johan Arvid Tyrberg, born on 20 June 1963, is the Bishop of Lund Diocese. He was inaugurated as Bishop of Lund on August 24, 2014 at Uppsala Cathedral by his predecessor the then Archbishop Antje Jackelén, making him the 69th Bishop of Lund Diocese.

Johan Tyrberg was ordained in the diocese in 1990. His service has included a post within the Church of Sweden Abroad, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. He became senior pastor in Karlshamn parish in the Swedish county of Blekinge in 2007. Johan Tyrberg is married and has three grown-up children. He is the nephew of bishop emeritus Karl-Johan Tyrberg.

Johan describes himself as a visionary, constantly on the move towards something new, but always with the parish closest to his heart. “The parish is where church life happens. It is in the parish that encounters take place and the Gospel is proclaimed in words and actions,” he says.

Bishop Johan is passionate about leadership issues and the importance of communication. “I want to come into contact with people and preach the Gospel wherever they may be. I not only encounter people in the church but also make use of other physical forums and the various media available,” says Bishop Johan.

The bishop is active on several social media websites – he is on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and can be followed via his blog.

The main task of a bishop is to lead and inspire the church in the diocese. Along with the chapter, the bishop is responsible for ensuring that the church’s doctrine and rules are followed. Also, the bishop ordains priests and deacons for service in the church. The bishop is also the obvious chairperson of the Diocesan Board and Chapter. 

Motto

Bishop Johan Tyrberg wants the church to be noticed and leave an imprint throughout society. He has chosen “Salt of the Earth” as his motto.
“In Matthew Chapter 5 Verse 13, Jesus says that we are the Salt of the Earth. There are different interpretations of this but whichever interpretation you choose, the idea is that God’s people are to mix with their surroundings. We have been called upon to live in the world, in society. Mixed in like salt, and noticeable like salt. This is how I want to live, and I want to show people the path to such a life,” explains Bishop Johan.

“We have a task and a role in the world, for the world. Salt has many uses and meanings. We often think of it as a taste enhancer. Let us be like that. In the same way that salt is of no use in the salt cellar and needs to be strewn over food, we need to be spread throughout society, among people.

If there is no salt, you notice. Similarly, if you do not take people’s spiritual needs into consideration, you can see that something is missing. Just as salt can make a difference, even in small quantities, we must not despair when the group that comes together for prayer and worship is small. We can still make a difference.

Salt is necessary for life. Without salt, our cells are unable to bind water and we become dehydrated. I believe that this is also the role of the church: we’re necessary for life.”

Coat of arms

Bishops’ coats of arms are used throughout the world. This is an international tradition that we uphold here in Sweden, and the custom of having a coat of arms linked to a post at the Church of Sweden has a long history.

A coat of arms says something about a person. The symbols often denote various contexts to which a person belongs. These may be personal interests or geographical locations that have been significant to a person’s life.

The coat of arms of Bishop Johan Tyrberg linked to his post is traditionally divided into four quadrants, with the Lund diocese coat of arms in the first and fourth quadrants and his personal coat of arms in the second and third quadrants. The diocesan coat of arms contains Saint Lawrence’s gridiron on which the patron saint of the diocese and cathedral was martyred in 258 in Rome.

The coat of arms has a maritime theme, with waves and an anchor. These symbols can be seen as an expression of the bishop’s interest in sailing and navigation. He has even lived close to the sea for large parts of his life.
 
A dazzling ship’s lantern in gold has been a symbol of the Light and Life of the World, that is, Jesus Christ and his disciples, throughout the ages. A “cross anchor” symbolises Christian hope. The coat of arms features the bishop’s motto: Salt of the Earth.

“The coat of arms is divided into an upper and a lower section by what is known as a “bar wavy”, a wave-shaped marking. The upper section has a lantern with rays of light in gold on a blue field, and the lower section has a blue anchor on a silver field. The anchor is reminiscent of the cross. The bar wavy symbolises water. The water from which the Creator brought life, the water in which we are baptised into fellowship with the God of life. The water that in various ways has accompanied me throughout my life by always either being in my surroundings or present in longing,” explains Bishop Johan Tyrberg.

 “The blue in contrast with the silver is the darkness in contrast with the light. Also, blue is Mary’s colour. Mary who bore God in his life to humanity. This task is one that each and every one of us is called to share in.
A lantern shines on the dark background. We take it with us on our journey, on a ship or in our hand. The golden colour is stronger than the light of the silver because it is God’s own light that we carry with us. The light of God makes all other light seem pale. The lantern with its light that you take with you picks up on the motto’s theme: in God’s hands, we are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World. The salt must be strewn and the light carried out into the world. It must not be hidden or conserved. The anchor is the symbol of hope. A hope that derives sustenance from the faith inspired by the cross. At the same time, the anchor is a reminder of the life that has brought me here,” explains Bishop Johan Tyrberg.

It is customary for the bishop of Lund, in addition to the mitre and crozier, to have what is known as the Primate’s Cross in their coat of arms.  This is a reminder of the bishopric’s former status as the archbishopric, founded in 1103. Otherwise, such a cross is only borne in the Church of Sweden by the Archbishop in Uppsala.

The bishop’s coat of arms was created by royal heraldic painter Ronny Andersen, Copenhagen after consultation with Swedish Heraldry Society representative Claus Berntsen and the bishop’s previous assistant Per Arne Joelsson.