About us

Who we are – People, united in the love of Christ!

The Free Evangelical Church (FEG) Innsbruck consists of people who believe in Jesus Christ and have received peace with God and new life through him. Adults and children, Tyroleans and people from all over the world visit the Sunday services. We have an age-appropriate program for children and a good mix of generations. During the week, we meet in small groups – also in English, Chinese and Persian!

The Free Evangelical Church (FEG)Innsbruck is a member of the Association of Evangelical Communities in Austria (BEGÖ) www.beg.or.at and is also part of the Free Churches Austria www.freikirchen.at since August 2013. As such we are a legally recognized church in Austria.

The church is very colorful. From 0 to 90 years, different age groups are represented and also constitute different nationalities. Visitors and guests are welcome. For non-German speaking persons, we offer translations in English and Farsi (Persian).

We are looking forward to your visit!

Objective

The current goal of the church is to glorify God by helping people become mature disciples of Christ. This can be simply articulated as: “Love God, love each other, love ministry, love unbelievers”.

The 4 aspects of the discipleship process at FEG Innsbruck

1. LOVING GOD – By regularly attending the Sunday morning service to fall in love with God and His Word. The service presents people with the opportunity to pray, worship God through singing, listen to the Word of God, fellowship with other believers, be encouraged through testimonies from others, take part in the communion as well as give financially to support God’s ministry.
2. LOVING EACH OTHER – By being part of a Small Group to connect with and enjoy intimate fellowship with other believers. Small Group meetings provide a conducive environment for spiritual maturity through participation in prayer, reading God’s Word and its application to life situations, and sharing life with others.
3. LOVING MINISTRY – By serving in a team or ministry to build up and impact others (1 Thes 5,11) and serving the community.
4. LOVING UNBELIEVERS – By sharing the Gospel with unbelievers to make them experience God and his glory (by reaching out, teaching, showing or living out the Word of God).

As a summary: First, someone gets to love and experience God by attending our Sunday services. Next, the person gets connected to others for intimate fellowship in a small group setting. After which, the natural result is joining a team or ministry to impact others in the church and beyond through a discovery and usage of their gifts to the glory of God. Finally, the person s

All men, united in the love of Christ!

The church was founded in 1985 as Pastor Manfred Warscher with his family moved to Innsbruck and began with a small group. Evangelistic lectures under the theme “Without God is all pointless” met with much interest. People came to a personal relationship of faith and were baptized. At the beginning of 1986, the church met at Boznerplatz 5.

In the autumn of 2000, the church began to hold alpha- faith courses for seekers and interested individuals every six months. At about the same time Jochen Riemer became pastor of the church.

In June 2008, new premises were opened at Reichenauerstrasse 19. As a result of community growth, the rooms at Boznerplatz had become too small. Now we find place for the Alpha courses, community lunches, children’s worship services, crawling room, etc.

Since summer 2012, Patrick Katerlöh has been the pastor of FEG Innsbruck. Since 2015, we have been a member of the Innsbruck City of Hope initiative www.stadtderhoffnung.at, which is committed to the well-being of the city in a variety of ways.

Since July 2019, Bright Nketia took over the role of the pator of FeG Innsbruck.

All men, united in the love of Christ!

I. THE HOLY SCRIPTURE (Bibliology)

We confess that the entire Holy Scripture (Old Testament – without Apocrypha – and New Testament) is the Word inspired by God.
We confess that the Holy Spirit guided the authors of the original texts – while retaining their personal and stylistic characteristics – right down to their choice of expression. Therefore, the Bible is absolutely true, reliable and error-free in all its statements, without any contradiction in itself. The Holy Scripture is our highest authority in all questions of faith, thinking and living.

II. GOD (theology)

We profess the one, only and personal God.
God is spirit but person; he is eternal and omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient; he is perfectly holy, good and righteous; he is a God of judgment as well as love, mercy and grace.

(Deut.6,4 / Matt.28,19 / Lk.3,21+22 / Jer.6,3 / Jer.40,12-31 / Jer.31,3 / Deut.7,6 -8 / Rev. 14,7).

This only God reveals himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Trinity).

1. The father

We believe in God the Father, the author and sustainer of all things.

From him comes the desire for communion with man and consequently the plan of salvation, for the final implementation of which he sent the Son.

2. The son

We believe in God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The world was created through him and for him.

The Father sent him to reconcile man with himself and to redeem him from sin and perpetual distance from God. For this purpose, Jesus, who was with the Father from eternity, became human voluntarily – through the procreation of the Holy Spirit and the virgin birth of Mary; He is therefore fully God and fully human at the same time. He demonstrated his mission as Messiah through his public deeds of power and miracles.

Jesus led a sinless earthly life and was thus able to die on the cross of Golgotha as a perfect, final sacrifice, in accordance with God’s plan of salvation and the Old Testament prophecies, as a representative of man’s guilt. He rose bodily from the dead and then ascended to heaven, where he personally represents everyone who believes in him before the Father.

(John 1:1 / 1 John 5:20 / Matt. 1:18-25 / Luke 1:35 / Phil.2:6-11 / 2 Cor.5:21 / 1 Cor.15 ,3-8 / Acts 1,6-10 / Heb.9,11-15 / Heb.10,10 / Heb.4,14-16).

3. The Holy Spirit

We believe in God the Holy Spirit.

He is that divine person sent by the Father and the Son to glorify Christ and to show man the way of salvation. He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, calls to repentance and brings about spiritual rebirth (baptism with the Holy Spirit) in the repentant sinner who puts his trust in the Lord Jesus.
The convert is united with all other believers in Christ in the body of Jesus; the Holy Spirit lives in him, seals him until the day of Christ’s return, strengthens, guides and teaches him, enables him to live a life of sanctification (fruit of the Spirit) and gives him spiritual gifts, not for their own sake, but for service in the world Community.
As the believer surrenders his areas of life to Christ, he becomes more and more filled with the Holy Spirit.

(John 15.26 / Gal. 4.6 / John 16.14 / John 16.8-11 / Titus 3.5 / John 16.5-15 / John 3.5 / Gal. 5 ,22 / Acts 5,3+4 / 1 Cor.6,19 / 1 Cor.12,4-13,29-31 / Eph.1,13-14).

III. MAN (Anthropology)

This image of God is particularly expressed in man’s creative abilities, as well as in his thoughts about the future, eternity and God. Humans are endowed with reason, a wealth of feeling and a free will to evaluate, choose and love. He is called to rule over creation with responsibility before God.

Men and women are equal, but not the same, which results in different tasks in the family, community and society. According to God’s order of creation, which man cannot disregard without negative consequences, God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of man, man is the head of woman; Children owe their parents respect and obedience.

(Gen. 1.26 / Gen. 2 / 1. Cor. 11.2-6 / Eph. 5.22-23).

We confess that man fell into sin through disobedience by choosing evil, seduced by Satan, and thereby turning away from the perfectly good God.

As a result of the apostasy from God, plague, disease and death have come to the world, which no longer reflects the divine harmony of creation. Man’s image of God is greatly distorted, human nature is sinful through and through, and every thought and action is marked by sin.
But God calls through the Holy Spirit to repentance and invites salvation in Jesus Christ, and man can respond – as a sign of his once actual image of God.

Of course, for all those who do not respond to God’s offer of salvation in this world, separation from God remains in the world beyond (eternal damnation).

IV. SALVATION (Soteriology)

(1 Tim.2.5+6 / Rom.5.1 / 1 John4.10 / Eph.2.8-10 / John3.3-7 / John1.12 / Eph.1 ,7 / John 3,16 / Acts 4,12).

Every person who – convicted by the Holy Spirit through God’s Word – seriously admits their own sinfulness before God (repentance) and willingly claims the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus Christ for themselves (personal acceptance of salvation), experiences forgiveness of guilt and becoming new (rebirth by virtue of the Holy One). spirit); The separation from God is abolished when the person who turns to God recognizes Jesus Christ as the new Lord of his life (change of rulership). The person converted in this way has become a child of God. The Holy Spirit gives him assurance of eternal salvation according to God’s Word, accompanies him in discipleship and challenges him to pursue sanctification. Through obedience to God’s Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers, the born-again person experiences spiritual growth.

(Mt.5.48 / 1.Petr.1.13-16 / 1.Thes.4.3 / Hebr.12.14 / Col.3.1-17 / Hebr.12.1 / Rom.12.1 +2 / 2 Cor.3.18).

Although the Christian continues to sin, he is fundamentally freed from the compulsion of evil and can claim forgiveness in Jesus Christ every day. He also remains subject to physical and mental hardships; It is in God’s hands to give healing or strengthening in suffering through prayer.

(Rom.6:1-11 / 1 John 1:9 / James 5:13-16 / 1 Tim.5:23 / 2 Tim.4:20).

V. THE CHURCH (ecclesiology)

(1.Cor.12.12-27 / Col.1.17+18 / Eph.1.22+23 / Hebr.10.24+25 / Acts.2.42 / 1.Cor.1.2).

We acknowledge the local church as a group of believers in Jesus Christ.
In accordance with the general priesthood, each member of the community contributes according to his God-given talent to fulfill the tasks of the local community. These are above all: praise and worship of God, witness to the truth of the Gospel and its proclamation throughout the world, biblical instruction, pastoral care, diakonia, petition and intercession.

(1 Peter 2:9 / 4:10 / Gal.6:10).

The local community has the obligation to celebrate the baptism of faith and the Lord’s Supper (Last Supper, breaking of bread). Every believer should experience water baptism by immersion as an expression of his faith; this does not save, but is a step of obedience to God and His Word. The Lord’s Supper commemorates the comprehensive redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ and is at the same time a celebration of communion with the Lord Jesus and the announcement of his return.

(Mt.28,19 / Acts 2,38+41 / Rom.6,3+4 / Luke 22,19+20 / 1 Cor.11,23+24).

United in the love of Jesus, the church members have to treat each other with respect and openness, to care for one another, to build up and admonish one another, and to correct each other up to and including expulsion from the church. Christ is Lord of the church; There is no ranking between the individual members, but there are different services – to be carried out according to spiritual maturity, character and talent – and thus different responsibility and authority. Therefore, the church members submit to their spiritual leaders (elders), who must firmly adhere to God’s Word and demonstrate with their entire being their dependence on Jesus Christ. The differences between men and women must also be taken into account when ordering individual services; The men are entrusted with teaching and leadership tasks for the local community as a whole. Elders and deacons must be proven brothers and sisters according to the New Testament model and qualifications.
When making decisions, the community does not base itself directly on majority decisions, but rather on the will of God anchored in Holy Scripture.

(1.Cor.13 / 1.Thes.5.11 / 1.Tim.4.13 / Mt.18.16 / 1.Tim.2.8-13 / Eph.4.11-13).

We are committed to the independence and responsibility of the local community. Each is directly responsible to their master. Collaborating with like-minded, Bible-believing congregations can be beneficial in order to better cope with the divine mandate and difficulties within the congregation.
We recognize and support the state authorities in their God-ordained task and follow their guidelines as long as this does not violate God’s overarching commandments and instructions.

VI. THE LAST THINGS (Eschatology)

We confess the return of Christ and his final judgment on humanity.
Jesus Christ will return visibly in sovereign power and glory at a time we cannot know, to judge the living and the dead and to consummate his eternal kingdom. The return of Jesus Christ will be preceded by times of severe persecution and great deception, accompanied by signs and wonders.

God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth in which absolute justice resides. The redeemed will spend eternity in His presence in unadulterated joy and perfection; the unredeemed remain forever excluded from this.

(Acts 1.11 / Dan. 12.2+3 / 1 Cor. 15 / 1 Thes. 5.2 / 2 Thes. 2 / 2 Peter 3.13 / Rev. 21.1-8 ).

As an evangelical free church, the FEG Innsbruck is independent of the state. We do not receive church taxes or other public money, but are financed by donations from our friends and members. Through you!

Thank you to everyone who supports our congregation with weekly collections in church services or monthly through standing orders!

If you would also like to support us in our diverse activities, we would be very happy!

Bank details:

Spardabank – BLZ: 46660
Kontonummer: 44139

IBAN: AT87 4666 0000 0004 4139
BIC: SVIEAT21