Constitution and membership
Municipal constitution (preamble)
Our municipal constitution (as of 2024)
The Free Religious Community in Offenbach am Main, founded on March 9, 1845, sees itself as a community of faith and worldview that embraces diversity, promotes life, and encourages religious education as its overarching tasks. It is structured and organized on a grassroots democratic basis; every member can contribute to the process of shaping its content and structure.
The community is a religious community that emerged from Christianity but has outgrown these roots. It is not bound by any scripture and rejects all dogma, emphasizing instead the duty of conscience. Three pillars support the faith and worldview of the church: freedom of belief, freedom of spirit, and freedom of conscience, which find expression in a tolerant, humane, and nature-loving sense of responsibility. Clear boundaries of tolerance are set and demonstrated in the face of intolerance and contempt for humanity and life.
The community wants to be a place and a source of support for everyone on their journey through life, and is focused on this world. It will always stand up for the rights of minorities and oppressed people, regardless of their origin, economic situation, gender, political and sexual orientation, or age. The top priority is the religious and ideological freedom of every individual and the promotion and encouragement of personal responsibility.
The sources and inspirations for the content and practices are all non-dogmatic points of reference in literature, art, science, and life experience. These, in turn, should serve to promote diversity, life, and religious education. The understanding of Free Religion in the Offenbach community can be critically questioned through reason, scientific knowledge, and constant examination of (world) political events.
May the spirit be free, faith without compulsion, our conscience devoted to all life.
Membership regulations
Our Membership Regulations (as of 2024)
The constitution of the Free Religious Community of Offenbach refers to the membership regulations in order to close regulatory gaps and regulate procedures regarding membership and withdrawal of membership. These regulations apply to members and non-members of the Free Religious Community of Offenbach.
Church tax code
Our cultural tax regulations (as of 2024)
The Free Religious Community of Offenbach am Main, a public corporation, levies a religious tax on its members in accordance with the following provisions. All members of the Free Religious Community of Offenbach am Main are liable for religious tax, regardless of their place of residence in Germany or abroad.
The provisions of this cultural tax regulation concerning spouses and marriages also apply to life partners and civil partnerships within the meaning of the Civil Partnership Act, as amended, as well as to all other forms of partnership equivalent to marriage.
Application for membership
Application for membership in the community
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Free Religious Community of Offenbach, we would be delighted to welcome you! Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions.
If you are still a member of another religious community, you must leave that community before joining ours—you can do this at your local citizens’ office.
