Freikirchen – kirchenfrei

Beten und Arbeiten als ökumenische Diakonie

Abstract

Starting from the Corona-manifesto of the churches of Zurich concerning charitable endeavours promoting an appropriate and humane neighbourliness under the conditions of the pandemic, the church and free-church activities, especially in the realm of social welfare activities, are developed as a resonance chamber that contains vibrations emanating from God, and which animate and connect people, irrespective of their religious affiliations. This is reflected upon with respect to welfare practice, caring community and urban social welfare. Using this approach, churches and church buildings function as places of ecumenical and interreligious welfare that openly approaches and accepts people holding all manner of world-views. Free churches play a particular part in this transformation process by releasing social welfare activities from their institutional church and religious patterns.