Explainer

Folkekirken for Internationals is a vibrant and welcoming community within the Danish National Church, dedicated to embracing expats and fostering a sense of belonging in Copenhagen – basically your home away from home.

Our mission is to offer a radical welcome to everyone international in the city. We aim to create a modern church experience that transcends cultural boundaries and invites individuals from all walks of life to join us in fellowship. At Folkekirken for Internationals, we believe in an all-inclusive God who celebrates diversity and offers love, acceptance and grace to everyone, without exclusion, welcoming every type of family and couple.

In our community, there are no corners where anyone is pushed aside. Instead, we celebrate each person’s unique story and journey of faith.

Our services and activities are designed to be relevant and engaging, embracing contemporary themes while remaining rooted in timeless spiritual truths. Our Sunday Jazz Services and our Gospel Services provide a space to connect with God, and our community activities help make a bridge into the Danish society and a home away from home.

We recognize the challenges that come with living in a new country and aim to support one another through shared experiences, encouragement and laughter, creating bonds that often feel like family.

Join us at Folkekirken for Internationals to explore faith, deepen connections and celebrate the beauty of our diverse community.

Together, we seek to embody the spirit of inclusivity, openness and love, inviting you to experience the warmth and grace of our fellowship.

We look forward to welcoming you and walking alongside you in your faith journey, as we grow together in love and understanding, affirming that you are an essential part of our church family.

Fakta

Working Foundation for the Church of Denmark for Internationals

"If One Is Truly to Succeed in Leading a person to a Specific Place, One must First and Foremost Take Care to Find Him Where He Is and Begin There."

S. Kierkegaard in "The Point of View for My Work as an Author"

The Church welcomes everyone! There is a radical aspect to the encounter that the Danish National Church - Folkekirken – has with the people living in Copenhagen. It endeavours to meet everyone wherever they may be in life, and to be present in a way that enables everyone to thrive.

Folkekirken for Internationals (FFI) is the home of the internationals within the Danish National Church. We are grounded in the confessional documents, history and theology of the Lutheran church, nourished by the Gospels, and grapple with the contemporary challenges of everyday life. We meet people where they are, making a special effort to embrace all differences within a safe church community.

We strive to offer a radical and inclusive welcome!

Folkekirken aspires to be a church for the population of Copenhagen, where more than 25 percent have an international background. For Luther, it was essential that the proclamation of the Gospel was done in a language that everyone could understand. Therefore, in a modern multicultural metropolis, it is natural for the Danish National Church also to be in English.

FFI seeks to be a meeting place centred around the Gospel, regardless of confessional or cultural background. We practice an open communion table and recognize baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as universally valid within the Church.

As part of our radical welcome, we invite you into a church that uses a language other than Danish, so that everyone in the congregation can make themselves understood, and be understood. We reach out from our own traditions and incorporate others’ in order to maintain a common church in Christ.

One of the strengths of the Danish National Church is that it does not have a spiritual head: no Pope, or Archbishop. This opens the way for a pluralistic interpretation within confessional boundaries. This is reflected in the varied churches across Copenhagen, which represent different theological directions but are still united in the administration of the sacraments (baptism and communion), preaching for the edification of faith, as well as for comfort and enlightenment.

FFI is a church community that welcomes everyone – regardless of gender, nationality, sexuality, family status, religious background, or whether one is simply seeking a home away from home.