English language services in the Evangelical Lutheran Church
Some parish churches in the cities of Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense offer a monthly service in English or a translation of the sermon into English during the ordinary Sunday service. This is a way of welcoming people in the church who do not speak Danish and who wish to be part of a Christian fellowship. Often, you will find both Danes and internationals and people of various ages at these English language services. You do not have to be a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church or of any other church to participate. To find out where there is an English language service, see the page Find a church.
Migrant churches
There are more than 250 migrant congregations in Denmark. Some of them have roots back to the persecution of Protestants in other European countries several hundred years ago; some are part of worldwide denominations such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican Church; and some are new and part of emerging Christian movements.
Some congregations are international in the sense that most of the people who attend the Sunday services and other activities are expats, i.e. foreigners living in Denmark during a limited period of time. In these churches, you sometimes find Danes having lived abroad, too. They may feel more at home in an international setting than in a primarily Danish setting.
The last group of migrant churches are more ethnic/national in nature. That is, they not only serve as a place of worship, they also bring together people with the same ethnic or national background and allow them to meet with others with whom they share a language and/or a culture. The liturgy and the spirituality of the individual congregations most often resemble what people know from their home church if they come from a Christian background. This is true of many migrant churches whose members come from Asia, Africa or South America. Some ethnic congregations consist of people from another religious background who have recently become Christians, e.g. Iranian and Tamil congregations.
To find a migrant church that offers services in the language of your preference, go to Find a church.
