Two Swiss evangelical bodies have published a joint guide for congregations weighing whether to rent their buildings to international churches, a response to growing demand for worship space and to disputes that have followed some rental arrangements.
The guide was released Aug. 19 by Freikirchen.ch, the umbrella association of free churches and Christian fellowships in Switzerland, together with "interkulturell," a working group of the Swiss Evangelical Alliance, according to a media release from the association. It sets out a checklist that church boards and pastors on both sides can work through before signing an agreement, covering theology, legal form, finances, building use, worship practice, culture and communication.
Each item carries a traffic-light rating — green for settled, orange for questions still open, red for high risk — so that leaders can see at a glance where a proposed rental stands.
"Swiss free churches receive many enquiries from international congregations. In the greater Zurich area in particular, many international churches are looking for premises. In the process, difficulties have also increasingly arisen in matters of renting," Peter Schneeberger, president of Freikirchen.ch, said in the release.
The guide uses "international congregations" as an umbrella term for migrant churches, ethnic congregations, foreign-language congregations, diaspora churches and international congregations, following a categorization by researcher Johannes Müller.
Landlords as stewards
The publication frames the relationship in theological rather than commercial terms. It cites Ephesians 2:19-22, describing believers as fellow citizens with the saints and members of God's household, with Christ as the cornerstone, and applies that text to both parties in a lease.
"As landlords of church premises, we do not see ourselves simply as owners or as conventional landlords, but as stewards of what God has entrusted to us," Schneeberger said. "On the basis of this attitude we live — regardless of whether we belong to a Swiss or to an international congregation — as members of God's household. Together we shape our life together in his house respectfully and responsibly."
The introduction also grounds the cooperation in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, stating that Swiss and international congregations alike are charged with building God's kingdom.
Six standards for both sides
Beyond practical arrangements, the guide sets out six ethical standards it says apply equally to the host church and the tenant congregation, drawn from a 2023 declaration adopted by Freikirchen.ch for its member churches and staff.
On money, it says donations and the biblical tithe are expressions of voluntary devotion and must not be tied to promises of special blessing or to fear of a curse. Contributions should be made without social or emotional pressure, and the size of individual gifts should remain private rather than publicly highlighted.
On membership, the guide says every member should feel respected and free, decisions about serving should be honored, and leaving a congregation must remain possible at any time without being dramatized or demonized.
A third standard rejects claims such as "only we have the full truth," "only among us does God work," "only we are real Christians" or "outside our congregation one loses God's protection," and warns against forming spiritual elites or disparaging other churches.
The remaining standards address leadership, child protection and abuse. Leaders are to carry responsibility in humility, remain approachable and open to questions and criticism, and refrain from intruding on personal areas such as marriage, work, property or finances, with the same standards applying to everyone. Children and young people are to receive age-appropriate care with parents involved in significant decisions. The final point commits both congregations to a culture in which boundary violations, abuse of power and physical, verbal, sexual or spiritual assault are not tolerated, and in which reports of misconduct are taken seriously.
Rents, keys and incense
The checklist becomes specific on questions that have caused friction. Under legal matters, it asks whether both parties have a clear legal form — in Switzerland a free church is typically constituted as an association — whether statutes and founding documents are available, whether responsible persons and emergency contacts are identified, whether liability insurance is in place, and whether both congregations have a safeguarding policy against boundary violations. A model rental agreement is attached as an annex.
On finances, the guide reports that among the congregations surveyed for the document, monthly rent for weekly use of a sanctuary with adjoining rooms plus two or three weekday events ranged from 1,200 to 2,000 Swiss francs (about $1,500 to $2,500), excluding utilities. It asks whether the tenant congregation can carry that cost long term and how utilities, damage and payment procedures are handled.
Building questions cover usage times, keys, storage, technical equipment, cleaning and kitchen use. The document notes that in many rental situations an external cleaning firm is preferred to an internal volunteer team, and that room rules must be posted in the rooms themselves in the language of the international congregation.
A section on worship use raises the handling of liturgical objects such as a communion table and candles, with a reference to fire safety regulations, and asks which smells accompany a celebration — incense used liturgically, or particular spices at a shared meal — and whether the host church and neighbors will tolerate them. It also asks that holidays and special events be regulated and that funerals and weddings be given priority.
Under culture, the guide asks the two congregations to discuss language barriers, expectations about noise levels, children's and family ministry, and potential sources of conflict, with suggested questions including "What could be culturally misunderstood?" and "What should we know about your culture?"
For ongoing cooperation, it recommends naming fixed contact persons, defining communication channels, agreeing on a conflict resolution procedure and holding two review meetings a year — one in April, after the annual members' assembly, to assess rental questions, and one in September to plan the following year together.
"What matters is talking with one another"
Shala, the alliance's intercultural officer, said in the release that conversation is the point of the exercise. "What matters is talking with one another. We would like to see cooperation characterised by voluntariness, mutual respect, transparency, responsible leadership and the unity of the worldwide church of Jesus Christ," he said. The guide is meant to help people grow in freedom and congregations live together in mutual appreciation, according to the release.
The document closes with a final assessment in four grades, ranging from a very good basis for cooperation to a recommendation against renting where significant red flags exist, such as the absence of a clear leadership or congregational structure. Where many items are marked orange, it advises obtaining references from previous landlords in consultation with the international congregation.
It ends with one question put to both congregations: if they look back on the cooperation in five years, what would need to have happened for both to say it was a gain for God's kingdom and for their churches? That question, the guide says, often opens the most important conversation and shows whether a shared vision actually exists.
Freikirchen.ch is a national church association of 20 free church movements in German-speaking Switzerland, comprising more than 750 local churches and their diaconal ministries.
The guide is intended for use in local churches and may be adapted to local circumstances, with logos and contact addresses removed or added as needed. It carries no copyright.
