Board Members
A BRIEF NOTE ON OUR ORGANIZATION
Corpus Christi is an organization that has bylaws, which stipulate how the board is to operate. The board is comprised of a chairman, treasurer, secretary, and various individuals from countries across Europe. Corpus Christi was first established as an organization in Sweden, but since then has grown and changed to include members from all over Europe. We are now looking to establish our organization in a way that reflects our international nature. Any pressing questions or needs can be addressed to the chairman of the board, Samuli Siikavirta. His contact information is found on the contact us page.
Board Members for 2025/2026
Samuli Siikavirta hails from Eastern Finland. Apart from a year at the University of Helsinki, he was educated at the University of Cambridge, UK, where he lived and studied for eight years leading up to a PhD in the New Testament (2014). He first attended the Corpus Christi Conference in 2011, joined the Board in 2015 and became the Chairman of the Board in 2016. For a decade, he was a parish pastor at St Mark’s Lutheran Church, Helsinki, in the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland. Since 2024, he has been called to Concordia Lutheran Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN, USA as Assistant Professor of Exegetical Theology. He is married to Māra, whom he met at Corpus Christi, and they have been blessed with a daughter, Lidia.
Verneri Virtanen lives in Raisio, Southwestern Finland. Currently he works in the field of youth politics, and studies trade and logistics alongside work. He attends the Mission Diocese congregation in Turku. In his free time, he likes to talk with friends and read books on theology, history and politics. Along with his duties in the Mission Diocese, Verneri acts as the treasurer of Corpus Christi.
Hanna Mitchell lives in Cambridge, England, where she is currently studying for a Masters degree in Theology. A lifelong member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England, she first attended Corpus Christi in 2019, and has been a member of the Board since 2020, currently serving as secretary. In her free time, she enjoys singing (especially for services of Choral Evensong), sewing, and reading.
Aaron Sahipakka comes from Turku, Finland. He is pursuing pastoral theology at Riga Luther Academy while concurrently studying philosophy at the University of Turku. A member of the Mission Diocese, he has attended Corpus Christi since 2023 and has contributed to organizing NYLT Conferences.
Johannes is from Germany and joined the board in 2025. He attended Corpus Christi for the first time in 2022. Coming from a small congregation with few young adults, he enjoys the opportunity to connect with fellow confessional Lutherans, hear biblical teaching and join in liturgical worship. Johannes is a professional software developer and serves as Corpus Christi’s webmaster. In his free time he works on establishing young adults retreats in the South Germany District of SELK. He also serves as treasurer and member of the board of elders at Immanuel Lutheran Church Darmstadt.
Jarl-Roar Simonsen joined the Board of the Corpus Christi Association in 2023. He works as a teacher in Northern Norway and lives in Nordkjosbotn with his wife and their daughter. He is actively involved in church life, sings in a local choir, and is committed to the promotion of confessional Lutheran faith.
Meet Anni Erkkilä, a language teacher from Helsinki, Finland. She first attended CC in 2018 and has been an active conference attendee ever since, making many wonderful friends along the way. In 2025, she joined the CC Board, continuing her commitment to the organization. One of her favorite parts of CC is the Daily Offices, especially the hymn singing. Outside of teaching, she enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and relaxing with her favorite hobby — knitting.