German History

Here in Germany there are only two big Christian denominations, the Catholics and the Protestants.  In the US, however, we find a greater variety of churches.  The reason for this difference goes way back in history, when the local German rulers decided which church their people had to belong to.  Sometimes the ruler changed his mind and so the whole population was rebaptised into the new faith. Deviations were not tolerated. 

Even today state and church are not separated in Germany.  You have to state on your income tax form whether you are a Christian and whether you are a Catholic or a Protestant.  The federal government then collects a so-called church tax from you and sends it to the denomination you have given on your form.  This situation is unique and hard to understand for Non-Germans. 

Germany Today

Nowadays the big two German denominations are quite open and are often called "Volkskirchen" (= people's churches).  They combine very different, sometimes liberal opinions; that is especially true for the Protestant Church.  In the US we would find these different opinions in different denominations. 

Many Germans have not met a Baptist. Therefore some consider us a very special group or even a sect.  They have not yet heard about the important role the baptists play in America and in the mission field. 

The Baptist Faith 

You may consider Baptists as conservative Protestants (Lutherans). Like Martin Luther we see Jesus as our personal saviour. We do believe that the bible is the true word of God and not just a historical document. The local church body is very important for us. Budgets are presented and decided on by the full assembly. There is no bishop or pope who can tell us what to believe and how to worship. The local churches decide by themselves whether to join a regional or national Baptist association. 

We believe that your first serious encounter with God is an important decisive event.  You then must decide how to answer the Lord's approach.  Therefore we baptise only a person, if he or she has answered this call. Babies cannot make that decision and are not baptised. Following the biblical teaching, water is not sprinkled but the whole person is immersed. Therefore our name.  However, baptism is NOT the important decision. It is only a consequence of your ONLY important decision, that is answering Jesus' question: "Who do you say I am?" (Matthew 16:15).

German Baptists and our Church

There are German Baptist churches and we have an excellent relation to them. Our believes are essentially the same. However, here around Darmstadt there are many English speaking foreigners, soldiers of the US Army, employees of international companies and students. We at DIBC feel a special call to serve them. 

Our Relation to the other German Churches

Although we differ in several aspects of faith, our relation with the other local Christian churches is very good. Together we have formed a so-called "alliance". This includes the two Lutheran, the Free Evangelical, the German Baptist and the Catholic church. We meet on a regular base and pray together.