History
The Evangelical Church of Dubai is the physical home of evangelical congregations in Dubai, built on land granted by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum in 1997.
Today, evangelical Christians can be found living and worshipping in almost every nation on the globe. They number in the hundreds of millions globally and are among the most active and growing segments of Protestant Christianity.
Our faith and worship is rooted in the Good News: that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinful mankind by sacrificially giving His life on the Cross. We believe salvation is not possible by moral improvement, but is received as a free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. We are called to live out our faith by obeying Jesus’ commands to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. You can read more about our beliefs here.
In the 1970’s and 80’s, evangelical expats in Dubai gathered in homes and schools to study the Bible and worship God because no church building existed for their worship. As congregations grew in size and stability, the need for a permanent Evangelical Church building in Dubai became clear. Land for Evangelical Church buildings had already been granted in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. In 1995 the Arabic Evangelical Church of Dubai and the English-speaking United Christian Church of Dubai made a joint request for land to the Ruler’s Court and the people prayed for a favorable response.
In 1997, God answered those prayers as land was graciously granted for an Evangelical Church building in Jebel Ali by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai & His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai. The people were filled with joy and thankfulness at this incredible gift. The two congregations invited other evangelical congregations to join in the effort as it would require significant funds and expertise, and could benefit many in the future. The ambitious effort encountered many challenges in the following years, but God graciously provided to overcome each obstacle.
On the 24th of October 2003, by God’s grace, the building was dedicated and opened for use.
Now, the Evangelical Church of Dubai stands as a testimony to the grace of God, the kindness of the Rulers of Dubai, and the diligence and sacrifice of so many who longed for an established location for evangelical congregations to meet and gather in this great city of Dubai.
The Evangelical Church of Dubai is utilized regularly by more than 20 evangelical congregations. We gather for worship in at least 10 different languages with worshippers from more than 80 nations.
We remain in close fellowship with many evangelical churches globally, as well as with the other evangelical compounds in the UAE: