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Church in Basel
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Basel-Stadt
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Basel-Stadt
Church in Basel
Gallery (2)
- Monday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Tuesday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Wednesday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Thursday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Friday8:30 to 11:30
- SaturdayClosed
- SundayClosed
- Monday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Tuesday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Wednesday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Thursday8:30 to 11:30 / 14:00 to 16:00
- Friday8:30 to 11:30
- SaturdayClosed
- SundayClosed
- Monday
Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Basel-Stadt – Contacts & Location
More contacts for Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Basel-Stadt
- Telephone061 277 45 16*
- Telephone061 277 45 16*
- Telephone061 277 45 15*
- Telephone061 277 45 35*
Description
A warm welcome to us
Me and the church
How do I become a member of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt?
By descent
- If the parents are members of the Protestant Reformed Church
- If the mother is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church
- In the case of married parents, if the father is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church and the mother does not belong to any other church
By moving in
- If you register with the canton as "Protestant Reformed" when you move to Basel
By joining
- When you join our church at a later date
How do I join the Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt?
By submitting a declaration of membership, which should be sent to the parish priest or the church administration.
You will find the membership form as a PDF at the bottom of this page.
When does membership of the Basel-Stadt Protestant Reformed Church end?
Your membership of the Basel-Stadt Protestant Reformed Church ends when you move out of the canton or when you declare your resignation in writing to the church administration. The obligation to pay church tax ends on the last day of the tax period preceding the resignation.
How many members does the Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt have?Our church has around 23,941 members. These are at home in seven parishes, which are geographically spread across the entire canton.
What does membership mean? Why is it important?
Our church has a mission to bear witness to the peace of God in the spirit of the Gospel in word and deed. Its members support this mission both ideally and materially. They help to preserve an important cultural root of our society. They also support the church's social commitment and the preservation of historic buildings.
What are the specific benefits of membership of the Basel-Stadt Protestant Reformed Church for members?You can live and shape your faith in freedom in our church. Church life offers a wide range of opportunities to do this: by celebrating church services and Christian feast days together, in devotions and meditations, in adult education, in work with children, young people and the elderly, and in diaconal work. Together with other people, you can deal with religious, spiritual, personal and social issues. The point of reference for this is the biblical and Christian tradition. It provides important impulses for shaping our lives and our society.
The church offers you support at various important stages in your life and can draw on a rich pool of ritual forms: at baptism as a celebration of the beginning of life, at confirmation in the process of growing up, at a wedding as a blessing of the relationship between two people and when saying goodbye. For people in difficult life situations, there is the offer of pastoral care and counseling by pastors of our church, whether in the parish, in the hospital or in the various counseling centers.
There are regular opportunities for interpersonal contact at numerous events in the parishes. You can find out about the various offers in the church's publication organ, the Kirchenbote, which is delivered to all Reformed households, or here. You can also find information on the services on offer in the Friday edition of the "Basler Zeitung".
How can I get involved in the Basel-Stadt Protestant Reformed Church?
Although our church employs a number of paid staff, it is mainly supported by the work of volunteers who are involved in the parish council, organize events, help to organize church services, work in the social sector and much more. You also support the work of the church with your church tax.
What does membership of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt cost
The tax rate of our church is determined annually. It is currently eight percent of state income tax.
How can I get involved in our church as a non-member?
If you cannot or do not want to identify with the church as a whole, but consider certain tasks of the church worthy of support, you can also donate or help out as a non-member. The social commitment of the church relies on volunteers.
Community-based ecumenical foundations of the church:
" Basler Stiftung für Diakonie
" Basler Stiftung für Kirchliche Denkmalpflege
Individual parishes or specialist church offices can be supported directly
Organization of the ERK-BS
The Protestant Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt sees itself as part of worldwide Christianity. "The basis of its teaching is Jesus Christ and his gospel" - as the church constitution states. The self-image of the Reformed Church is that its members "form a personal conviction based on reflection and experience". The church is therefore not a preconceived doctrine, but is constantly emerging anew from the living example of its members. The three central pillars of a Christian church are proclamation, diaconia and community.
An independent church
The Protestant Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt was founded in 1529 with the help of the Basel reformer Johannes Oekolampad. It was a state church for almost 400 years. Since 1911, it has been independent as a public corporation with its own fiscal sovereignty.
ReformerThe Basel reformer Johannes Oekolampad (1482-1531) was at the cradle of the Reformed Church in our canton. We can still hear the passionate call for inner renewal from his sermons today: "The exaltation of the church does not consist in gold and silver, in the opulent splendor of this world, but in faith, in perseverance, in love, in the power of works, in living deeds, in gifts and grace."
Monuments
The visible signs of the Protestant Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt include 85 churches, parish and vicarage buildings and saint's residences. These include numerous architectural monuments that shape the face of our city: In addition to the cathedral, Basel's landmark, these include the inner city churches of the Basel West parish, St. Theodor, as well as numerous churches and parish houses in the outer districts.
StructureWith around 31,400 members, the Protestant Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt has the population of a small Swiss canton: it would be ranked between Glarus and Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The comparison with a canton is no coincidence: in its structure and functioning, the Protestant Reformed Church is modelled on a democratic state system.
A member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt is anyone who has been baptized in the church or has joined it. Membership is terminated by death, moving away or written resignation.
The church is divided into seven parishes, each of which is led by a church council. The church's parliament is the synod. It consists of 80 women and men (synod members), who are elected by all church members entitled to vote for a period of four years. The synod in turn elects the nine-member church council, the executive, which corresponds to a cantonal government. The church council is responsible for the cantonal church services and the church administration. These departments, offices and services correspond to the administration and departments of a canton.
The church constitution gives a special status to the official assemblies of two professional groups: The elected pastors form the so-called "parish chapter", while the employees with duties in the social sector belong to the "diaconal chapter". In the past, the constitution only referred to the "parish chapter". For some years now, the two "chapters" have had equal rights, which is unique in the Swiss church landscape.
Church life often permeates invisible areas of our canton. Institutions such as the association for drug help, the Gassenarbeit association and the Gassenküche kitchen are the result of church initiatives.
Church administration
The church administration is the service center of the Protestant Reformed Church of Basel-Stadt. It is based in the Münsterhof and the Bischofshof, the former seat of the Basel bishop, next to the cathedral. A total of 20 staff are employed there, mainly on a part-time basis.
Tax department
The tax department looks after taxable members and advises them on church tax issues and all matters relating to their membership. Due to its recognition by the state under public law, the Protestant Reformed Church is entitled to levy church tax from its members. The contribution depends on their income. It is set anew each year and has remained unchanged at 8 percent of cantonal income tax for several years.
Accounting and Finance
The accounting department prepares the planning, budget and annual accounts by cost type and function. The accounting transactions of the church foundations are also recorded and annual financial statements are prepared.
The Accounting department is responsible for the proper accounting of cash transactions. It prepares the annual financial statements by cost type and function. It is also responsible for preparing the budget and financial planning. In addition to the annual financial statements of the ERK, there are several church foundations and fund accounts. In addition, the Accounting department supports the parishes or other church-related organizations as required. The department has financial accounting, payroll accounting, accounts receivable and accounts payable. It also monitors the church's finances.
Personnel
The payroll department is responsible for the payment of salaries to employees, most of whom are employed part-time, and for the payment of pensions. The employment contracts are drawn up by the HR department.
The HR coordinator is available to answer HR questions. As a recognized mediator of the Swiss umbrella association for mediation, she also mediates in conflicts.
Property management
The property management department manages and administers all church buildings and properties from an administrative and planning perspective in accordance with the requirements of the church council.
The property management department works closely with the building managers and the accounting department of the church administration, but is also in constant contact with the church councils and the responsible member of the church council. For the attention of the church council, the property management department provides the basis for decisions on the medium and long-term planning of the property portfolio.
The building management department, which works directly with the church administration in many areas, is not listed here for organizational reasons.