International Baptist Church

In 1949 the International Baptist Theological Seminary was formed in Rüschlikon. Ten years later, a chapel was built on the seminary campus and it is in this chapel that IBCZ worships.
IBCZ first existed as the Sunday evening worship service (in English) of the local German speaking congregation that was largely comprised of people associated with the seminary. In 1989, IBCZ was formed as a separate church and moved to Wädenswil, another Swiss town located along the shore of Lake Zürich.
In the mid-1990s, the seminary moved to Prague and the seminary property (excepting only the chapel) was sold. Shortly thereafter, the Rüschlikon and Thalwil German-speaking Baptist churches merged and IBCZ accepted an invitation to return to the seminary chapel.
For many years, IBCZ was served mostly by a series of pastors who could remain in Switzerland for only 6 to 9 months. These short term pastors were necessary because IBCZ was unable to get a work permit for its pastor. In 1998, the church finally was able to acquire a work permit for a pastor.
In 1997, IBCZ amended its constitution to change from leadership through church council to a plurality of elders. The IBCZ constitution provides that any paid pastor of IBCZ shall be an elder.
IBCZ is very diverse. On any given Sunday, there will be many nations and denominations represented. Approximately 50% of the congregation is long-term - either Swiss or expatriates with an intention of remaining. The rest are families who settle for only 1 to 5 years due to jobs, schooling etc. English is a second or third language for many of those who attend IBCZ each Sunday!