Welcome

Welcome to the website of Koningkerk (translated: King Church) in Haarlem. Here you can read about what we believe and who we are. Our mission is: Believe, Experience, Pass On!

Contact

Although we are a Dutch speaking church, most of us speak English as well. We'd like to be in touch and to invite you to our church. The best way to contact us is to send us an e-mail via: english@koningkerkhaarlem.nl

Get Involved

Feel welcome to join a Sunday morning service, a Bible study or a prayer meeting. Please note that these meetings are held in Dutch. Another way to get involved is by forming a triad: a small group of three men or three women who get together frequently for a period of five months, with the goal of getting to know each other better and seeking the Lord Jesus together.

What We Believe

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe that God is a loving father. We believe that Jesus loved us unto death and that through faith in him we are children of God. We believe that the Holy Spirit who lives in us convinces us of this. We believe that Jesus is alive and that he will come back!

Who We Are

It has become a trending question in our country: Does the church still have a future? More and more (young) people are leaving God and the church and also Haarlem has been affected by secularization. But we believe in the power of the Gospel and in God’s plan for his church! This is why we believe that also Koningkerk is a church with a future!

We have articulated this with the following three core values:

  • Believe - In the church it is about believing. That is accepting as truth that which you cannot (yet) see. You believe with your mind AND with your heart. Another word for believing is trusting. In God, in his Word and in the saving grace that is revealed in Christ Jesus. Believing also has to do with doing what you believe in. That is what makes it real and alive!
  • Experience - The church is a place where, together with others, you experience your faith and make it practical. Believing is not the same as feeling, but it is something to experience. It touches your soul and fills your heart with praise to God. That happens on Sunday morning during the service and throughout the week in other ways. Especially in the (diaconal) care for each other you experience your faith.
  • Pass On - We do not keep the liberating message of the Gospel to ourselves. God has given us the commision to pass on the good news to all people. We do this by telling people about God AND by showing with our lives what it means to be a Christian. We offer everyone who comes in: love, acceptance and forgiveness.

Our Future

In 2016 we started with a new leadership team to, with the help of a church coach, actively work on the future of our church. We started with the development of a renewed vision for Koningkerk for the coming five years. We are noticing that the church is becoming attracting again and we are frequently meeting new people, we are thankful to the Lord God for that!

In the following five years, we would like to further work out our three core values through the following seven spearheads:

1. Koningkerk is a church where young and old worship God together 
Koningkerk is a church where young people and old people do life together, because God’s Spirit joins generations. Where young and old connect with each other, the church comes alive (again) and becomes impactful.
2. Koningkerk is a church where people are accepted in love 
Koningkerk is a church that is characterized by positive, close, and loving relationships. Everyone is accepted in love. The members sincerely care for each other and also to people from outside the church a warm welcome is extended.
3. Koningkerk is a church where people learn to follow Jesus 
Koningkerk is a church where you learn together what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in our time. He invites people who believe in Him to follow Him and follow in his footsteps. You cannot do that alone, you need each other for that.
4. Koningkerk is a church with biblical and practical teaching 
Koningkerk is a church where varied teaching from the Bible is offered. This is not only about knowledge of what is written in the Bible, but also about the practical translation to our daily lives.
5. Koningkerk is a church with a contemporary and accessible appearance 
Koningkerk is a church with inspiring services. The preaching is relevant and accessible. Everyone is welcome and there is room for personal connection in order to get to know each other, to be strengthened, and be there for each other as a spiritual family.
6. Koningkerk is a church with a recognizable identity 
Koningkerk is a church with a recognizable, clear, and biblical identity. Values are well explained through the different forms of teaching. The accent is not on what we are ‘against’, but what we are ‘for’ and thus stand for.
7. Koningkerk is a church with prayer for and attention to Israel 
In a time where a lot is happening in and around Israel, Koningkerk wants to encourage people to be connected with Israel in a positive way and to pray for Israel. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Our History

The church was founded in 1941 as Stichting tot verkondiging van het Evangelie en verspreiding van Christelijke Lectuur (translated: Foundation for Preaching of the Gospel and Distribution of Christian Literature). We have met at several locations in Haarlem, among which on the Zuiderstraat (for a while the church was called Zuiderkapel) and on the Gedempte Oude Gracht. After that, the building on the Kloppersingel was bought, that sadly was destroyed by a fire in 2003. In this tragic fire, three firefighters and a bystander lost their lives. In 2007, the new Koningkerk was opened.