“Evangelisch-Freikirchlich” sounds foreign to you? Maybe you have heard “Baptisten” before. The Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Münster is a vibrant part of the Baptist movement. It belongs to the Bund Evangelisch-Freikirchlicher Gemeinden. This is the largest evangelical free church in Germany.
Together with other Christian churches it stands for the good news. This good news is about God’s love. He showed his love in Jesus Christ. The Bible is the standard and point of orientation.
“Frei-Kirche” stands for several things. It stands for a voluntary church. The Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Münster does not baptize babies. It only baptizes people who can decide for themselves. These people want to live as Christians. Therefore the congregations are rather small. This promotes contact among each other. It makes the church a place of encounter. By the way the term “Baptists” goes back to the practice of baptism.
It also stands for an independent church. The Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Münster is not financed by church tax money. It is financed by donations and voluntary contributions from its members. This strengthens the identification of the individual with “their” church.
The Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Münster also stands for great freedom. In this community there are hardly any hierarchical structures from top to bottom. This allows a lot of freedom. Freedom to shape the community life. Freedom to shape the church services. Participation and co-determination are important. Therefore the members’ meeting is the highest body. It makes all the important decisions.
The Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Münster knows that it is connected. Connected with Christians from other denominations. It maintains relationships with other churches. For example in the Evangelische Allianz. Also in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft christlicher Kirchen. This means working group of Christian churches.
The guiding principle describes what a group stands for. It describes what drives them. The guiding principle of Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Münster is clear. “We are a church that has Jesus Christ at its center.” It also says “lives living community”. Furthermore, “grows inwardly and outwardly”. And finally “is socially relevant”. The members live and pray. They engage for that to grow among them.
The Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde am Bohlweg was founded in 2001. It was founded as a bible-believing Russian-speaking congregation. All services are now in German. This is to reach the children in the congregation. Also to reach the people in Münster with the gospel. Since the beginning of November 2020 Jonas Bültemann is employed as pastor.