Union of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany

The Union of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany (Baptists) was founded in 1942. The Baptist union of the German Democratic  
Republic (former East Germany) was founded in 1969. In 1990, the union was reunited with the Baptist union of the Federal Republic of Germany (former West Germany).
The date of the foundation of the first Baptist Church in Germany is 1834. The founder of the German Baptist Church, Johann Gerhard Oncken, was baptized together with six other believers by the American Baptist pastor Barnas Sears in
the river Elbe in Hamburg. These seven formed the first Baptist Church, which was the basis of the Union of Baptist Churches – and since 1942,
after the unification of Baptist, Brethren, and Elim Churches, of the Union of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany. A statement that illustrates Oncken’s passion for missionary work and which has become in the meantime the motto of Baptists around the world, is that “every church should be a mission and every member a missionary”.

Since 2003, the headquarters of the union are in
Elstal near Berlin. There is also our Educational Center (Bildungszentrum), which offers various programs for continuing education for ordained and lay people in the churches.The churches across the country work together in
the different fields of social services, mission,  evangelisation, church development, and church counselling. They are also very involved in the
various Departments of the union such as the Women’s, Men’s, and Senior’s Ministries. The “Gemeindejugendwerk” is the Youth  Department of the union. With its “Up to you” concept, it seeks to enable children and young  people to actively participate in its diverse programs. The pastors (male and female) of our churches are predominantly educated at the  Theological Seminary in Elstal.
“Let’s get there” – that is our call and it is the expectation of the missionary work of our union, because we understand that only those, who focus
on people and respond to their needs can make the good news of Jesus Christ understandable.
The Union of Evangelical Free Churches in  Germany is a member of the Baptist World  Alliance (BWA) and the European Baptist  Federation (EBF). With the help of the European Baptist Mission (EBM) and the German Baptist Aid, our union supports and encourages people worldwide.