The Highway Forums Resources Church Locator Churches in Germany (Munich)

The daughter of a friend of mine will be studying in Germany for the next year. I was wondering if anyone has any information about Reformed Baptist churches in Germany (or at least conservative evangelical Baptist churches with non-seeker sensitive leanings), esp. around Munich. German speaking congregations would be preferred (cultural immersion you know) but information on English speaking congregations might be useful as well. I would appreciate any information anyone could send me.
Here's what I have so far:

International Bible Church
Hannover

Freie Baptisten Gemeinde Heilbronn
Heibronn

Immanuelgemeinde (Reformierte Baptisten, Wetzlar)
Wetzlar

Calvary Baptist Church
Heidelberg



In Christ,

Brad J. Hammond

Lars Larson use to pastor Munich International Community Church. Lars is Reformed, however I know he left and I am unsure of the status of the church. If I remember correctly John Piper (whose theology I do not 100% agree with) has a Doctorate in Theology from the University of Munich, and thus he may have some idea of where to attend. Here is the General e-mail for BBC (bbcmpls@bbcmpls.org) and DGM (mail@desiringGod.org).

Thanks President Edwards, those are the first good leads I've had in a couple of weeks. I'll check into them at once. By the way, what do you think of John Gerstner's systemization of your work?


Soli Deo Gloria,

Brad J. Hammond

You are welcome <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/hello.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for the promotion. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/rofl.gif" alt="" /> Are you speaking of The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards, or.... <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratch1.gif" alt="" />

If that is what he is referring to, The Rational Biblical Theology of Edwards is IMHO, simply outstanding!

I am in Munich from time to time on business and can recommned Munich International Community Church http://www.munichurch.de/.

Assuming your friend's daughter is after an English language church that would certainly be the best recommendation.

If she would like a German language church she could try a Frei Evangelische Gemeinde www.feg.de They have three congregations in Munich, one of which owns the building where MICC meets. Again, I've been to their services.

If you need any further info on other Munich churches, just ask, although I'm away for the next week and will reply on my return.

In Christ,

James.

James,
Thank you so much. Your personal recommendations as well as President Edward's are a great help. I've checked out the Munich International Community Church website, especially their doctrinal statement, and everything seems alright. The FEG churches also look ok, but their doctrinal statements appeared somewhat sketchy (though not nearly as sketchy as my German!). Anyway, they're certainly worth a try --- can't be too picky in Germany these days. Anyway, thanks again for the information.

P.S. I would also be delighted to hear any of your personal assesments/opinions of the religious situation in Germany/Munich these days.


Gott allein sei Ehre!

Brad J. Hammond

Not to run a bad joke any further into the ground (where's the beating a dead horse graemlin?) but yes, that's the one. Do you think it is a faithful presentation of your thelogy or no?

Brad J. Hammond

I consider the work very good. I enjoy Edwards a lot (I'm enjoying the Yale series, 23 vols) and thus enjoy most things concerning his works as well. However, please note that I do not always agree with Edwards on every jot and tittle of theology. Of course, I haven't nearly (and in reality don't expect to) caught up to his understanding of theology, et. AL.

Thanks J.,
By the way, the graemlin is marvelous! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/BigThumbUp.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bravo.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/bow.gif" alt="" />
Can I steal/use it?

Most definitely use it. Do you have the program called: EmotiPad? It is great for collecting gremlins and then posting them.

I do now! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/cheers2.gif" alt="" />
Fascinating! Now I can post like a professional.
(Actually, having the program and using it and two very different things)
Thanks again.

Brad J. Hammond

Dear Brad,

Bavaria is a majority Roman Catholic area and Munich is a large city with a substantial Muslim (principally Turkish) immigrant population.

My knowledge of the church scene is limited to having attended three congregations: MICC, the FEG that shares the same building and an Evangelische Landeskirchliche Gemeinde http://www.gemeinschaft-muenchen.de/

I have been to MICC four times: twice when one of the elders was preaching the only two times he ever preached there! (and he wasn't that great) and twice when the pastor has preached (one of these occasions was spoiled by too much irrelevant humour the other was actually a very good sermon). I know people at the church and have considerable respect for the depth of their faith.

I don't speak German but have been to the FEG three times. One of these included an excellent brass group playing stirring Lutheran chorales, and one other was a less inspiring youth service.

The Landeskirchliche Gemeindes are evangelical congregations within the state Lutheran churches arising out of the Pietist movements of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. In these times it was legally difficult for independent churches to exist so many evangelical pastors formed parallel structures within the state church with their own congregations, meetings, pastors, seminaries and diaconal work. The congregation in Kreuzstrasse http://www.gemeinschaft-muenchen.de/ was very friendly although the evangelistic service I attended (again in German) veered to the Arminian.

There is a very limited number of confessionally Reformed churches in Germany: there are a few Reformed Episcopalians from the US, some national pastors, and some PCA work. There are two independent Lutheran churches akin to the Missouri (SELK) and Wisconsin (ELFK) Synods in the US. The SELK has a Munich congregation http://people.freenet.de/Trinitatis/

You can find something about Reformed works in Germany by using the country as a search term at the web site of this British Evangelical newspaper http://www.evangelical-times.org/

I realise these comments are rather subjective but I hope you find them helpful.

In Christ,

James.

James,

Thank you so much for all your help! You've given me more information than any of the "official" agencies and channels I have contacted, and I value your personal insights and judgments very much. I have passed along everything to my friend and I think he now feels far more comfortable about the situation than at first. I am also grateful for the link to The Evangelical Times, though it appears (not surprisingly) that there's not a whole lot of good news coming from Germany, which one article refers to as "a theological wasteland," and another as "a spiritual tragedy." Saddest of all to me is the fact that, as Spurgeon said, "Germany was made unbelieving by her preachers." Thanks again, and I will be sure to report back once my friend's daughter is in Germany.


Soli Deo Gloria,

Brad J. Hammond