Information about us
BAPTISTS
What does that actually mean? The word comes from the Greek and stands for baptism, which for us is a central symbol for a personal, free decision to believe. But that's not all.
The Baptist principles can be summarized as the Specialist Group Church 21 of the Community Youth Work (GJW) has formulated:
"Baptists are people who ...
... are called by God to freedom and follow Jesus in responsibility before God and their own conscience!
... as believers in Jesus Christ - this includes everyone who see themselves as Christians - are directly connected to God and are of equal value to one another. In their community, all services / offices / functions are equal and are open to everyone.
... stand up for freedom of belief, conscience and practice of religion and stand up for the separation of church and state.
... celebrate God's love for people and reconciliation with God and baptize people who profess their faith in Jesus Christ of their own free will.
... participate as a community of believers in God's work in the world by conveying God's goodness through their lives and working for justice.
... understand the Bible as God's word in the word of man and base your faith and your life on it alone.
... organize themselves locally in independent communities and network regionally and worldwide. "
WHAT DOES EFG MEAN?
As Baptists we belong to the Federation of Evangelical Free Churches (BEFG). But how can this abbreviation actually be explained well?
In addition to the fact that we have a share in the corporation under public law due to our membership in the BEFG, the content of the abbreviation is filled as follows:
Evangelical.
The basis of our faith is the Gospel (good news): God wants to be close to people. In Jesus Christ God's love for people becomes clear and concrete. Since then, people have experienced faith as a relationship of trust with God and still express this in their confession today.
Free.
Freikirche is a voluntary church in which people are members of their own conviction. Our practice of baptizing only responsible people who consciously want to take this step corresponds to this principle. It is from this practice of baptism that the name “Baptists” (Anabaptist) comes from, by which our free church is known worldwide. All important questions are discussed and decided in the community meeting. This also includes the community budget, which is covered by voluntary donations.
Church.
Just as you cannot master your life on your own, you cannot live your faith as a lone warrior either. We need each other so that life succeeds and faith sustains. In the community we experience God, we are there for one another and learn together.
