Religious services in Frankfurt Rhine-Main

For some people moving to a new country means giving up activities that are important to how we see ourselves and how we want others to see us. It doesn’t have to be that way at all. The organisations listed below, including churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and more, are all committed to supporting families and communities of all faiths. You’ll be pleased to know that many of the spiritual activities you enjoyed at home can be continued here in Germany. As many people in the international community are only here temporarily, religious communities in Frankfurt Rhine-Main are well aware of the needs of newcomers. Many of these places offer a diverse and dedicated parish or congregation, which brings a very international element to services and observances.

Some of the institutions go to great lengths to include the local German population alongside their international members. Many share their houses of worship with a German congregation, and that can sometimes mean there are dual services and clerics to meet the needs of both the German-speaking and non-German-speaking communities. What follows is a listing of English-speaking and foreign language religious services.

When you sign up as a German taxpayer, you‘ll see a line on the form asking for your religious affiliation. As you probably know, the large established churches here receive support from the government, which collects taxes on the churches‘ behalf from all registered church members.

So when you fill in a religion on this tax form, you‘re basically giving the state the green light to register you as a church member and then charge you a church tax (Kirchensteuer). This tax is added on as a nine percent surcharge to your tax bill, so you‘re paying nine percent of your income tax, not your income. The tax is automatically taken out of your salary and then given to the church of your choice.

If you don‘t want to take part in this church funding scheme, just tick the box marked ‚none‘ (keine) when you register with the Tax Office. However, not being a tax-paying church member will mean you don‘t get certain privileges. Most churches will refuse to perform baptisms, church weddings or funerals if you‘re not a tax-paying member of that religion.