Tobias Riemenschneider, although based in Frankfurt, Germany, found himself in the middle of controversy in American Evangelicalism in 2024. He would be at the center of an international struggle session of a member at Covenant Bible Church in Georgetown, Texas, the church of Joel Webbon. Riemenschneider pressured Webbon to excommunicate a member over an offensive meme, at the behest of Doug Wilson, James White, and others. This ultimately failed and Riemenchscneider was exposed as a slanderer, and his presence in American Evangelicalism fizzled out.
However, across the pond, Tobias Riemenschneider is something of an authority figure. His YouTube channels, ERB Frankfurt (26.5k subs and Christuskirche Frankfurt (1.8k subs), perform extremely well, as Riemenschneider emerged as a major player in German Evangelicalism. Part of the reason for Riemenschneider’s rise in Germany is his political activism and being seen as a friendly pastor to the AfD party, the most right-wing of major German political parties.
That Tobias Riemenschneider has been excommunicated has been known for months by Evangelical Dark Web. However, details were private or in German, although we have a source close to the situation who proved instrumental in research.
Riemenschneider published a 15 minute version of the story. Evangelical Dark Web had the video translated into English and published it. In the video, Riemenschneider mentions 2 charges levied against him. The first was over his political activism.
Riemenschneider claims that when hired, the board insisted that he work on outreach. Riemenschneider did that to much acclaim, citing the Frankfurt Declaration among other projects. However, Riemenschneider made inroads politically and grew as a brand. Riemenschneider argues that this charge was born out of envy and quotes John MacArthur.
The second charge was over harshness. Riemenschneider claims that this issue arose from his preaching against sin arguing that it was not a coincidence that he preached against pornography and was subsequently accused of harshness.Â
Yet many people in our woke culture can no longer bear it when their sins are clearly addressed. By the way, that is one of the pastor’s main tasks. The accusation that I was too harsh against sin in the congregation is especially tragic because it shows there is no insight into one’s own spiritual condition. For the spiritual state of the congregation had deteriorated massively over the past two years.
A family that had moved to Frankfurt specifically to support the outward ministry moved back after two years because they could no longer endure the constantly worsening slander against me and my ministry.
More and more, and increasingly serious, sins came to light. It is no coincidence that I preached so clearly against pornography last August. And a sin even became known that, as a father, I cannot even utter.One thing is clear: if I were to disclose what was really happening in the congregation lately, no one would any longer think that one could be too harsh against it.
Almost all the charges brought against me were based on a single congregational meeting in October 2025, in which I pointed out all these sins to the congregation and called them to repentance. I have the video of that meeting here. I also have the charges here. If necessary, we can go through everything. And I do not believe that anyone would still think I was harsh and unloving—rather, everyone would recognize that a pastor was speaking decisively against grievances in the congregation because he loves the congregation. [translated with AI]
Riemenschneider claims that there was persistent sin in the congregation and also a particular sin too egregious to name that is implied to be either child pornography or molestation. The church chose this as the occasion to accuse Riemenschneider of harshness.
Additionally, Riemenschneider dispels the notion that Paul Washer or Heart Cry Ministries had any involvement in this story, appealing to his friendship with Washer. And then he disputes any accusations of embezzlement.
However, embezzlement is a post hoc accusation. Our source explains that Riemenschneider was judged by the church and refused to accept or comply with the verdict, and so there was a divorce in which Riemenschneider kept the social media accounts and also the money. This is not as clear-cut as Riemenschneider made it seem about funding for an eventual school early in the video.
The church put out a statement:
As a congregation, with a clear conscience, we have done what we recognized before God, our holy LORD, to be necessary and required. We fear Him more than men. However, we are not willing to engage in a public mudslinging campaign or to quarrel before the eyes of the world.
We will endure all the false and evil things now being alleged against us, without publicly defending or justifying ourselves. We believe that it is good and beneficial for us to be humbled. Our God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
We expressly distance ourselves from all other public statements or comments on this matter and do not adopt their content as our own. At the same time, we also ask everyone else to refrain from disputes on the internet.
We sincerely thank you for all intercession and care, and we trust solely in the eternal cornerstone of the church—our faithful Lord Jesus Christ.
The church’s statement invokes God as the only judge of the situation and denotes the pietistic nature of their leadership, giving credence to the illegitimacy of their charges against Riemenschneider.
Tobias Riemenschneider uses a great amount of appeals to authority in his public statement, and had he remained friendly in the Reformed world in America, he would have many more allies here who sympathize with the abuse of church discipline, a rampant phenomenon in the church today.
Tobias Riemenschneider is ultimately a victim of what he tried to do in America in his home church. It is sufficiently ironic that his church could not tolerate his willingness to transgress liberal sensibilities after he had an international struggle session over offensive memes.
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