This article deals with the Church of Sweden and the Church of Finland and their spiritual support for parishioners during their end-of-life phase. Support for the dying seemed uncommon in both countries, while most parishes offered support for the bereaved. The Finnish respondents expressed more confidence in their spiritual role than did the Swedes. This may have to do with the role of the churches in their respective countries and the varying geographies of death.

Innovation is crucial for the survival and wellbeing of organizations in volatile, rapidly changing societies. However, the role of profound human capability, compassion, and innovation has not been adequately investigated. This article sets out to explore the factors preventing and promoting innovation in organizations, asking how compassion is connected to these factors, and how compassion could boost innovation. We approach innovation as a complicated multilevel phenomenon, emerging from interactions between individuals and the work context. Our view of compassion includes both compassion and copassion—responding both to the suffering and joy of others. Our material was collected from nine focus group interviews, organized in Finland in 2017, in private, public, and third-sector organizations. The material was analyzed by two researchers, using an adapted grounded theory methodology. We found four core factors capable of either promoting or preventing innovation: (1) the strategy and structures of the organization, (2) resources, especially time, (3) working culture; and (4) the dynamics of interaction between individuals and the community. Our key conclusion, fruitful to theorizing both innovation and compassion, is that for innovation to flourish, compassion is to be cultivated throughout an organization. It is not a single variable or practice, and it is in many ways in a key position regarding innovation: the existence of it promotes innovation, but the lack of it prevents innovation. Thus, organizations aiming for innovation should seek multifaceted understanding and skills in compassion.

Kirkon oppilaitostyöntekijät joutuvat usein perustelemaan tehtäväänsä paitsi oppilaitoksissa myös seurakuntayhteisöissä. Heidän ammatti-identiteettinsä määrittyy suhteessa siihen, mitä muut ammattilaiset työyhteisössä tekevät ja miten he itse neuvottelevat ammatillisesta tilastaan.

Kirkon diakoniatyö sisälsi vuoden 2007 tilastojen mukaan eniten keskusteluapua ja taloudellista apua. Taloudellista apua sai joka neljäs asiakas. Diakoniatyöntekijät ovat toisinaan kokeneet olevansa taloudellisessa avustustyössä asiantuntijuutensa rajoilla. Taloudellisen avustamisen asiantuntijuuden analysointi on kirjoittajan näkemyksen mukaan avainasemassa, kun jäsennetään diakoniatyön paikkaa, tehtävää ja erityisyyttä yhteiskunnallisen ja seurakunnallisen työn konteksteissa. Artikkelinsa lopussa kirjoittaja pohtii myös diakoniatyöntekijöiden taloudellisen avustustyön ja sosiaalityön asiantuntijuuden keskinäisiä eroja.

My family belongs to the church, so we go to the graveyard every now and then and we go to church too, if there's something special on (Anni, 16-year-old female, Lammi).