True Christian churches share the Lord Jesus, one faith, one baptism, one God the Father, and the eternal Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-6). But in other ways, each church is as distinct as a thumb-print. Are we the right church for you?
What is the "Evangelical Free Church"?
Christian Scandinavians began immigrating to the U.S. in the late 1800s, and planted churches in places like New York, Texas, and the Midwestern farmlands. This close-knit network of Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish believers became an official church association in 1950, in Ames, Iowa. God has expanded the EFCA beyond her original ethnic borders.
We are evangelical.
Each of us must trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, to become a child of God. This is a free gift of God's grace, received by faith alone in Christ alone. Baptism and the Lord's Supper do not save. We believe in the divinely-inspired inerrancy of the Bible in its original documents. The Bible alone is our highest authority on faith and practice. The word "Evangelical" should not be taken to mean belonging to a specific political party.
We have an open Communion.
Christian brothers and sisters can be found in every denomination. This is why the EFCA has always practiced "open" communion. We take the Communion as a memorial; eternal life is not transmitted through the bread and cup.
We have a Bible teaching pulpit.
Only the Bible has the power to spiritually save, emotionally heal, and morally guide. For that reason we emphasize a Bible teaching pulpit. We seek to learn all of God's Word, using a context-oriented interpretation method, with light from original languages and history.
We believe in Christian liberty.
The Lord allows many life-choices to fall into the realm of private conviction (see Romans 14). We should not bind one others in matters of private conviction, or on matters that are not clearly stated in Scripture.
We are independent.
Everyone is welcome to attend and participate! But we also maintain a membership roll, and hold congregational votes. We are governed by a team of elected elders and deacons. The members own the church assets, set the budget, and elect our church officers. We are part of the wider EFCA association.
We welcome all denominations.
It's our hope to be an example of Christians from different denominational backgrounds being able to worship together harmoniously.
Here is where we stand on some often-asked questions:
What is the "Evangelical Free Church"?
Christian Scandinavians began immigrating to the U.S. in the late 1800s, and planted churches in places like New York, Texas, and the Midwestern farmlands. This close-knit network of Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish believers became an official church association in 1950, in Ames, Iowa. God has expanded the EFCA beyond her original ethnic borders.
We are evangelical.
Each of us must trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, to become a child of God. This is a free gift of God's grace, received by faith alone in Christ alone. Baptism and the Lord's Supper do not save. We believe in the divinely-inspired inerrancy of the Bible in its original documents. The Bible alone is our highest authority on faith and practice. The word "Evangelical" should not be taken to mean belonging to a specific political party.
We have an open Communion.
Christian brothers and sisters can be found in every denomination. This is why the EFCA has always practiced "open" communion. We take the Communion as a memorial; eternal life is not transmitted through the bread and cup.
We have a Bible teaching pulpit.
Only the Bible has the power to spiritually save, emotionally heal, and morally guide. For that reason we emphasize a Bible teaching pulpit. We seek to learn all of God's Word, using a context-oriented interpretation method, with light from original languages and history.
We believe in Christian liberty.
The Lord allows many life-choices to fall into the realm of private conviction (see Romans 14). We should not bind one others in matters of private conviction, or on matters that are not clearly stated in Scripture.
We are independent.
Everyone is welcome to attend and participate! But we also maintain a membership roll, and hold congregational votes. We are governed by a team of elected elders and deacons. The members own the church assets, set the budget, and elect our church officers. We are part of the wider EFCA association.
We welcome all denominations.
It's our hope to be an example of Christians from different denominational backgrounds being able to worship together harmoniously.
Here is where we stand on some often-asked questions:
- We are pro-life, and support the traditional, Biblical definition of marriage.
- We believe that Adam and Eve were historically real people.
- Men and women are equal bearers of God's image, equally lost in sin, and equally redeemed in Christ through faith, and can receive any gift of the Spirit. Misogyny and misanthropy are sins. In our church women don't serve as preachers or elders.
- We welcome the use of all sorts of sound Bible translations.
- For a more thorough list of questions and answers, go to: www.efca.org/resources/document/theological-definitions-positions