The United Arab Emirates is an Islamic nation that welcomes other religions. There are a number of places where other religions can practice their faith. These magnificent establishments should be seen by those who visit for holidays. Dubai is a great place for Christians to visit, and it is even possible to obtain a residency visa by purchasing property in Dubai. There are many properties to choose from in the best neighborhoods of Dubai, so it’s easy to find the perfect place to suit your needs. Dubai has a number of churches, allowing Christians to practice their faith in the city.
These churches are open to people of all faiths and are a testament to the UAE’s commitment to religious tolerance and freedom.
The following is a list of some of the most notable, important, and popular churches in Dubai for Christians.
Due to a large number of civil and engineering constructions in Dubai, Emiratis accept a high-quality workforce from foreign countries, most of whom are Americans and English ex-pats. Dubai has an estimated 90% Christian population, among the highest in the world. Therefore, many churches and worship centers are built for those of the Christian faith in order to serve their convenience and spiritual needs.
Dubai has some of the best churches in the world. These churches have been constructed with grandeur and beauty, offering a place of worship for the many Christians in Dubai. Without further ado, here are the top churches in Dubai for Christians:
One of Dubai’s oldest and most well-known churches, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, was established in 1967. In 1988, the church was demolished and then built again, considering the increasing number of Catholics residing in Dubai. This chapel, which is located in the center of Dubai, is a magnificent illustration of the city’s talent for architecture. Its splendor will undoubtedly fascinate you.
The late Sheik Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a former vice president and prime minister of the UAE, founded it. The following year, the ceremony took place. Currently, this church has the title of the largest Roman Catholic parish worldwide.
The New Covenant Church is a Full Gospel Church in Dubai and is situated on Oud Metha Road. The Holy Spirit is continuing on the course mentioned in the New Testament Gospels, according to Full Gospel Churches. It includes the performance of healing and miracles. The foundation of Full Gospel churches is Pentecostalism, a contemporary Christian movement. In order for the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues, it must first be baptized. Any typical Full Gospel Church does baptism on a regular basis. Thus, New Covenant Church in Dubai is mainly a Pentecostal church.
The largest church in the nation, with a space of 1,800 square meters, is the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Philip the Apostle, which is located in Sharjah (19,000 sq ft). Regardless of your religious beliefs, it is well worth your time to visit this location. You can get to see its beautiful ornate blue domes and rich images and symbolism inside the church. It is typically only open in the evenings, but on Sundays, when it can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers, it is the busiest. On August 13, 2011, a Saturday, the church began services. Discussions about building this church started in 2005. The church was approved to begin construction in May 2007. Yury Kirs, a St. Petersburg-based architect, created the church’s design. Hegumen Alexander Zarkesher of Moscow, the leader of the parish, gave his blessing to the church. Due to the five domes and five gold crosses, it is one of the most unusual Russian Orthodox churches in terms of design. The gold crosses were entirely made in Russia.
This is one of the most well-known Catholic churches you can find in Dubai. In November 2001, Bishop Bernard Gremoli founded this church. The Parish, a district with its own pastors, priests, and church, is currently led by Bishop Paul Hinder as its pastor. The sanctuary of the church is made more beautiful by the mosaic image of St. Francis receiving Jesus from the cross.
St. Francis of Assisi Church is located on Sheik Zayed Road in Jebel Ali. This church serves residents of this hamlet, Jumeirah, Jebel Ali Gardens, Jebel Ali Industrial Area, Jebel Ali Free Zone, and Al Quoz Industrial Area, in addition to those who own property in Jebel Ali.
Residents of the parish have many nationalities and come from different parts of the globe, living as expatriates in Dubai. A little desert mountain lies where the original Jebel Ali is located. The name’s exact meaning is Little Mountain. It can be easily accessed by the Jebel Ali Village interchange and The Gardens/Ibn Battuta Mall. The parish land area is 50,000 square feet, and it has a single, three-part building on it. There is an orderly-built Padua Center having 15 halls, which can be used for prayer meetings and catechesis. The office and residential areas are another component of the building. The layout and style also include 70 subterranean parking spaces.
Churches like Covenant Hope Church Dubai have a great impact on the community and can address different social problems in our day and age. Not only does it provide a location to pray to God, but it can additionally offer vital social services, participate in different cultural projects, create a close group of like-minded people and host recreational events.
The Mor Ignatius Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Cathedral is another top church in Dubai which is nowadays more commonly known as “Marubhumiyele Manjinikara.” This great Cathedral was established to enable visitors to enjoy the material as well as spiritual magnificence of this land.
The Cathedral is a haven for all types of believers irrespective of caste, creed, or even religion. This Cathedral has 3 Chronos. In honor of Moran Mor Ignatius Ealias Bava, Yeldho Bava, and St. Mary, the Thronos were consecrated.
Seven people made up the Cathedral’s initial membership. More than 400 individuals have signed up to participate, and more than 1000 individuals routinely attend. This Cathedral is a great place to build and strengthen the relationship with God and fellow beings. It is a group of devoted individuals that support, share, and pray for one another. It is an authentic location to experience God’s presence and a place to find inner healing.
One of Dubai’s most stunning churches may be found inside the Grand Excelsior Hotel. The church’s founding was done in 1997 by a small group of only 28 believers. This stunning church serves as an illustration of Dubai’s various cultural populations. Visiting the place enables one to experience a spiritual serenity like never seen before.
One of the few churches in Dubai that performs baptisms is this one. It is primarily made up of English-speaking ex-pat believers who follow the Holy Bible. The congregation is diverse at this Dubai church, including attendees from all ages. It primarily serves the needs of Christian ex-pats who live in Al Barsha. So children who study at the best schools in Al Barsha Dubai can easily attend these churches.
The Holy Trinity Church, a multi-denominational Christian congregation in Dubai, is part of the Chaplaincy of Dubai, Sharjah, and the Northern Emirates. On property given by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai, the church was founded in 1970.
Numerous congregations of ex-pat Christians from all over the world visit Holy Trinity Church in Dubai.
It is estimated that over 30,000 people worship at this church every week.
The Holy Trinity Church is firmly rooted in the Anglican tradition, but more than 120 diverse Christian organizations, including Dubai City Church, use the church’s grounds. In addition to believing in one God, Anglicans also hold that this one God has three characteristics: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They fervently follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, whom they see as God’s son.
In August 2016, Rev. Harrison Chinnakumar was selected to serve as chaplain. The Holy Trinity Church in Dubai is situated near St. Mary’s Catholic Church in the Oud Metha neighborhood.
Dubai’s CSI Parish is a Church of South India that was established in 1975. The building of this church was given the go-ahead by Reverend T.S. Joseph, who was the Madhya Kerala Diocese’s Bishop in that particular year. The church is profoundly influenced by the Late Reverend Philip Sturdy. The church currently has three full-time priests who are present and attend services. The worship services and other programs are conducted in the Tamil language. Bilingual worship service and education methods are followed in VBS and Junior Church, encouraging kids who have trouble reading in Tamil to participate.
There are other opportunities to be involved, such as evangelism, missionary work, and social service outreach through financial support and prayer.
Another well-known Pentecostal church in Dubai on our list is The King’s Revival Church, which is categorized as a Pentecostal Full Gospel Non-Denominational Church. King’s Revival is a fascinating non-denominational church that believes in healing people of all diseases through miracles. Non-denominational churches normally don’t follow one denomination or specific Christian sect. They conduct their own rules of leadership, policies, and worship rituals, making them one of the world’s most modern Christian churches. The church is a shelter for an ethnically diverse community of Christians speaking different languages.
Another New Testament-believing Full Gospel Church is the Maranatha Church. This church was appointed by Pastor Juxy in the year 1994. Actually, it is a component of the larger Maranatha movement, which began around the turn of the century. In addition to Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, and Oud Metha in Dubai, it has established a presence all throughout the nation. So if you are willing to buy an apartment in Abu Dhabi and reside here, make sure to check out this beauty. Institutions like the MFGC (Maranatha Full Gospel Church) English Service are not only important from a religious perspective, but they are also extremely valuable historically in Canada. The church offers a place to worship God and can additionally host recreational events, take part in various cultural activities, provide vital social services, and establish a pleasant group of like-minded people.
This church is located in Oud Metha, Dubai, and emphasizes the study of the Holy Bible. By adhering to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, it seeks to assist people in finding God. Twenty devoted individuals founded Dubai City Church in 1999. Since then, it has expanded to Abu Dhabi and also houses a Russian congregation in the United Arab Emirates. It has a branch in Sydney, Australia as well. More than a thousand individuals representing various racial and ethnic groups congregate every Saturday night in the Holy Trinity Church Compound in Dubai.
In the 1960s, residents from India began to move to Dubai. These citizens, many of whom were Christians from Kerala, were looking for better trade and employment opportunities. Syrian Christians are essentially Marthomites. Christians from Kerala, India, founded this Marthomite church in 1969. The Dubai Mar Thoma Church relocated its services from the school to the Holy Trinity Church’s grounds in Oud Metha as its membership grew. The Dubai Mar Thoma Parish received 20,000 square feet of property from the Dubai government in 1999, but the first service was not held there until 2001. Nowadays, there are over 2,200 families who are members of this church, displaying its successful growth. It tends to meet Marthomites’ spiritual requirements. Each week, the Dubai Mar Thoma Church holds four worship services.
The parish began its year-long festivities reaching 50 years as a community in the United Arab Emirates in November 2018.
For the Christians who immigrated to the United Arab Emirates, the United Christian church of Dubai was established in 1962. This building is a wonderful representation of Dubai’s architectural beauty and respect for all cultures. In 1977, when more Christian ex-pats moved to Dubai, the tiny fellowship was organized as a church and was afterward known as the International Evangelical Church of Dubai. A statement of doctrine was also accepted, along with the choice of a pastor. The following year saw the adoption of the first constitution. In 1980, due to global unrest, the church was requested to leave the Jumeirah American School for security reasons.
Prior to transferring to Cambridge High School, one of the best British schools in Dubai, and finally an English school, the church first met in rented hotel rooms.
This church dispatched employees and members in 2010 to found the Redeemer Church of Dubai, which is situated on the other side of Dubai. The Redeemer Church of Dubai received financial help from the United Christian Church of Dubai up until 2012 when it was able to maintain itself on its own.
The pastor of the church joined other Christian leaders in 2011 in appreciating the government’s support for their right to meet, despite the fact that licenses to construct churches or host Christian worship in Dubai are prohibited.
The Redeemer Church of Dubai was established in 2010, generally made up of believers from all nations, cultures, ages, and backgrounds. The church believes that It is their unity in the gospel of Christ that makes us all part of one family. Making disciples of all the world’s nations was their ultimate goal from the beginning.
People from various nations get together every weekend to encourage one another, confess their sins, sing God’s praises, pray for their leaders and their members, and hear the words of God. The church has members from Australia, Africa, Asia, America, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, India, Egypt, Kenya, and far beyond. They believe that God has promised to redeem people from every language, people, tribe, and nation, and they have the privilege of seeing the fruit of God’s redemption weekly. They have many people who would not describe themselves as Christians come to their weekend service as well and are always happy to welcome them. This church is a sister congregation to the United Christian Church of Dubai, as was already mentioned.
Well, that’s all there is to say about the top churches in Dubai for Christians. Additionally, there are smaller centers where Jacobites, Orthodox Christians, Protestants, and other congregations gather for prayers. Many residential areas in Dubai also have churches not that far away.
The city of Dubai is a truly tolerant and inclusive place for individuals of all religions. Non-Muslims can even take special mosque tours at some Muslim mosques in Dubai. So, whether you live in this city with a Dubai work visa or permit or have children attending the best schools in Dubai, you have to try visiting these majestic places.
Even though the UAE is a Muslim country, there are more churches than you actually may think. In fact, there are about 20 churches that cover the different kinds of branches of Christianity, such as Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, and Orthodox.
The oldest church in Dubai is the Catholic St. Mary's Church. In 1967, it was founded. It is located in Bur Dubai and is the oldest and largest of the Christian places of worship in the United Arab Emirates. The church is a popular destination for both local and international tourists.
Of course. The Grand Excelsior Hotel is home to the Baptist church Emirates Baptist Church International. The church currently holds services in English and Filipino. It also provides various other spiritual activities such as Bible study groups, youth meetings, and prayer meetings.
