VORES HISTORIE
2008
Openchurch started in 2008, out of a longing to build church for the people who weren't in one. We dreamed of a community where your neighbour, your colleague and your classmate would feel welcome. A church that builds bridges instead of digging trenches, where the gospel's open invitation could replace all the talk of insiders and outsiders. We wanted to be closer to our city — relevant in everyday life, and a place where faith became living, down-to-earth and natural.
OUR DREAM
From the very start we dreamed of seeing God's supernatural power change people — in the middle of ordinary life, and through completely ordinary Christians.
We longed for deep encounters with God without getting weird about it. We wanted his power to be tangible, present and life-changing — in church, at work, at home and on the street.
COMMUNITY
It began with a lot of coffee and a lot of conversation. Friendship, laughter and community became the foundation.
We talked about a church you wouldn't want to go home from — a place full of laughter, love and warmth.
FRA HERNING TIL HELE LANDET
From the dream that began in Herning in 2008, the vision grew quickly.
In 2017 our former youth leader Malene Vejnø moved to Zambia with her family. Meeting people there lit the dream of seeing the same life-changing faith and community they had known in Denmark.
That was the beginning of a new chapter:
In January 2018 Openchurch Ndola was planted — the first international church in the Openchurch family.
In September 2019 Openchurch Copenhagen was started by Christina and Thomas Christensen — in a city where fewer than one per cent go to church. They carried a dream of seeing God do something big in the capital, and in that very first year God used the church to carry a message of hope across Denmark — and, as it turned out, to the ends of the earth.
In May 2025 it was Hillerød's turn, where the Copenhagen team — after three years of deliberate work reaching into North Zealand — took the next step and planted a new congregation.
Something new was happening on Funen at the same time: in spring 2025 May-Britt and Niels-Peter Hedegaard moved to Odense, and on 14 September Openchurch Odense became a reality.
From Herning to Ndola, Copenhagen, Hillerød and Odense, the vision keeps growing. Today Openchurch is several communities with one mission — to inspire people to experience God and follow Jesus.
MARTS 2020
Openchurch Copenhagen was not yet six months old when Covid arrived. Everything shut down, and many feared a new church would not survive.
Frustrated and afraid, Christina and Thomas prayed together and thanked God that he would build his church. That same night Thomas woke at 2 a.m. with a clear picture of a “drive-in church” — a live service experienced from the car. A week later the permits and the equipment were in place.
By the second week — Palm Sunday — journalists from Denmark's two biggest broadcasters turned up, and the Ritzau news agency sent the story around the world. Pictures from the drive-in church appeared in media from Australia to America, the New York Times among them. A message of hope in the middle of a crisis was shared in more than 40 countries.
VORES KALD
Out of that dream grew a clear calling, which today sums up who we are: we inspire people to experience God and follow Jesus.
We discovered that a lot of our church baggage was really about how we wanted things done. But our calling is to reach people who don't yet have a Christian community or a faith. We can't change, heal or rescue anyone — but we know who can. So Openchurch wants to point people towards God, to inspire faith and changed lives, and to keep the gospel fresh and relevant in a changing world.
We're willing to try new things — in order to hold on to the same old message. Nobody has to pretend to be anything to belong at Openchurch. There's no standard to live up to before you can join in. We trust God's grace and power to change people's lives. Come as you are — but don't stay as you are. Let God touch your life. Church is the best place there is for flawed people to meet a perfect God.
DET STARTEDE I DANMARK
From Herning, the dream of a missional church for “real people” spread on — to Ndola in Zambia, and to Copenhagen, Hillerød and Odense in Denmark. And who knows where God will take us next?
Hans historie. Lad os tjene Gud sammen – med alt, hvad vi har.
