The Church of Norway: The Power of a Unified Solution

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Since the Church Council in Trondheim switched to Aider’s tailored accounting solution, everyday operations have changed completely. “We work in a completely different way now,” says Lena Kongsrud, Head of Finance and Administration at the council.


Her interest was piqued in 2019 by the prospect of a unified system. Aider had won the contract with the Church of Norway for payroll, HR, and accounting services, making it both cost-effective and straightforward for parish councils to join.


“In Trondheim, we have worked hard to implement such shared solutions because we believe they are in the best interest of the church. At the same time, we were concerned that this would not just be a generic call-off within a large framework agreement. We represent 25 parishes and have our own specific needs,” Kongsrud explains.


Significant Efficiency Gains

For this reason, the council chose to begin with a preliminary project. It quickly became clear that all the conditions were in place for a strong future collaboration.


“The chemistry was there from day one. We experienced great support and, above all, a genuine interest in helping us find the right solutions. Previously, we had felt like a small client for a large firm, but with Aider, it was different.”


This allowed them to truly accelerate digitalization. Paper vouchers are a thing of the past, transactions are automated, and the use of online banking has been eliminated.


It’s a new way of working, and overall we see tremendous efficiency gains. But the work continues. The Xledger system that Aider has tailored for parish councils offers many opportunities for standardization and rule-based management, and that work is far from complete, Kongsrud explains.


 

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A Solution for the Community

Today, the Trondheim parish council also purchases full-service payroll services from Aider and is in the process of getting started with the SD Worx system. With only one employee handling payroll, Kongsrud noticed that they were vulnerable during holidays and absences.


“Outsourcing payroll has worked very well for us, and we are extremely satisfied with the support we receive. We also appreciate that this agreement allows us to bring in an advisor when needed. We tested this, for example, in connection with the annual accounts, and it worked smoothly.”


For Kongsrud, however, the collaboration is primarily about enabling as many councils as possible to benefit from shared solutions. That is why she and her skilled team are fully committed to optimizing the solution on behalf of all parish councils.


 

– We want to do our part to contribute to standardization. Even though we are different, laws and regulations are the same. So, when we continue to focus on efficiency, it’s not just about ourselves, but about building a community where there is added value in being part of it,” she says, concluding: “In my ideal world, all parish councils would be part of this solution.


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