God Is Building His Church in Frankfurt: River Church Grows from 0 to 150 Members in Four Years

Walk into River Church Frankfurt on a Sunday morning and the word international makes immediate sense. German families stand beside people who moved to Frankfurt from other countries. Young adults, children and older believers worship in the same room. The service is bilingual so German and English speakers can belong to one church rather than living in separate worlds.

But describing River simply as a church for Frankfurt’s international community misses a major part of the story. Germans are coming too. They serve, worship, pray, bring their families and look for a living relationship with Jesus. That mixture has become part of the church’s identity.

Four years ago, River Church Frankfurt had no inherited membership base. It started at zero. Today, 150 people are members of the church.

“Dry religion may be declining, but the Body of Christ is not dying. Jesus is building His Church. People are hungry for the presence of God, the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. We boast in the Lord, because what has happened in Frankfurt is His work, not ours.”

A different story inside a changing church landscape

The growth is taking place while Germany’s religious landscape is changing rapidly. The Evangelical Church in Germany reported about 17.4 million members at the end of 2025, down 3.2 percent from the previous year. The German Bishops’ Conference reported 19,219,601 Catholic members in 2025 and 307,117 formal departures.

The official reports are more nuanced than a simple “church is dying” headline, however. The EKD also reported roughly 120,000 new admissions during 2025 and increasing interest in faith courses. The Catholic figures showed a small rise in Mass attendance, from 6.6 to 6.8 percent. Institutional membership, church attendance and spiritual hunger are not the same thing.

Bowlin believes that distinction matters. At River, Germans and people from the nations worship together, including young adults and families looking for a living relationship with God.

International, but not only for internationals

Frankfurt provides a natural setting for that kind of church. According to the city, Frankfurt had 776,835 registered residents on June 30, 2026, and 31.6 percent held foreign citizenship. City officials describe Frankfurt as an international city. For River, that does not mean building an English-speaking world beside German life. The aim is to be a church in Frankfurt where Germans and people from many nations follow Jesus together.

For Bowlin, River’s international identity fits Frankfurt, but it should never suggest that the church is only for people from abroad. The aim is for Germans and people from the nations to follow Jesus together in the same church.

Bilingual ministry is therefore not an add-on. It is part of the church’s normal life. A German family, an international student, someone working in Frankfurt’s financial sector and a person who arrived in Germany only months ago can all take part in the same service.

What 150 members means to River

Bowlin is careful not to talk about 150 as a trophy. For River, every number represents a person the church wants to serve and strengthen in faith, which means growth also brings greater responsibility.

That responsibility shapes the rhythm of the church. River’s main bilingual service is Sunday at 11:00, with a Wednesday Revival service at 19:00. Children’s and youth ministry, discipleship, prayer, evangelism and training believers are part of church life beyond those meetings. River regularly takes teams into Frankfurt to share the Gospel and treats evangelism as a normal part of Christian life rather than the work of a small specialist department.

People looking for an international church in Frankfurt can read more about River’s bilingual church life, while the About River page tells more of the church’s story and vision.

“Jesus is building His Church”

When Bowlin looks back over the first four years, he repeatedly returns to Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” At River, the verse is more than a slogan. It shapes the way the church interprets growth.

River uses modern tools, invites people and evangelizes actively. Bowlin emphasizes, however, that organizational work cannot manufacture spiritual hunger or change a life by its own power.

The next years, then, are not simply about making the number larger. River wants to win people to Jesus, make disciples, strengthen families, train leaders and send believers out. The vision reaches across Frankfurt, Germany and the nations.

For River, the first four years are primarily a reason for gratitude. The church does not want to boast in itself, but to give the Lord the glory while taking seriously its responsibility for the 150 people who now belong.

Four years after starting at zero, River Church Frankfurt does not want the number 150 to be the final statement about the story. The statement the church wants to make is simpler: Jesus is building His Church.