One Million Christian Immigrants Need Churches

Why this is here: Amsterdam City Church, founded in 2020, has grown to fifteen hundred members spread across six locations in the Netherlands, demonstrating rapid growth within migrant Christian communities.

In Rotterdam, the Dutch Church Financial Management Foundation (SKG) held a matching day to connect migrant churches seeking space with churches that have it. The SKG estimates over one million Christians with migration backgrounds live in the Netherlands, yet many migrant churches struggle to find permanent locations. Churches in areas like the Betuwe region currently have empty buildings.

The Volle Evangelie Gemeente El Shaddai in Amersfoort currently rents a school, desiring a dedicated space with a kitchen for their diverse congregation of roughly one hundred people. SKG’s platform, Kerkgezocht.nl, now lists about 45 churches seeking or offering space, with a few connections already made.

However, many churches are only offered short-term rentals, requiring weekly setup and teardown. SKG director Jos de Kleuver also hopes to connect shrinking churches in one area with growing congregations in others, envisioning collaborative opportunities.

While potential matches exist, distance—like the forty-minute drive from Rotterdam to Nijmegen—remains a complication. The SKG is also appealing to the government to facilitate these connections and address zoning issues.