Evangelical Covenant Church
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is an evangelical
Christian denomination
of more than 800 congregations and an average worship attendance of 179,000 people in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants
, the church is now one of the most rapidly growing and multi-ethnic denominations in North America. Historically Lutheran in theology and background, it is now a broadly evangelical movement.
A pietistic religious awakening had swept through Sweden around the middle of the 19th century. Out of this awakening and reformation came the Swedish Mission Covenant Church in 1878. The state church discouraged the gathering of these believers. It was people from this movement that emigrated to America and formed the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America. Early leaders and influences included P.P. Waldenström
, 1838–1917; Frans-Gustav Petersson-Haggquist, 1843–1936; Axel E. Karlson, 1858–1910; David Nyvall
, 1863–1946; et al. They desired to create a voluntary covenant of churches that were committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus
, as well as provide means for ministerial training. The name was changed to the Evangelical Covenant Church of America in 1954 and the "of America" was eventually abandoned because the denomination includes a Canadian conference.
, North Park Theological Seminary
and Swedish Covenant Hospital
. There are related Bible colleges in Alaska and California. (See Alaska Christian College, and Centro Hispano de Estudios Teológicos).
The church also operates Minnehaha Academy
, a private K-12 school with three campuses in Minneapolis.
The church is divided into ten regional conferences - Canada Conference, Central Conference, East Coast Conference (org. 1890), Great Lakes Conference, Midsouth Conference, Midwest Conference, North Pacific Conference, Northwest Conference, Pacific Southwest Conference, and Southeast Conference - and one administrative region - Alaska. The highest authority is an annual meeting of delegates sent by the local congregations. Covenant Publications is the publishing arm of the denomination. The denominational hymnal is The Covenant Hymnal: A Worship Book. A major church ministry is not-for-profit senior housing, the ECC being one of the top ten suppliers of such housing in the United States.
As of 2009, membership was 123,529 in 778 congregations in the United States
(42 states) and an estimated 1500 members in 23 congregations in Canada
(5 provinces). Average attendance in 2009 was 178,997. The denomination also has ongoing missions work in 25 countries worldwide, with 125 long term missionaries, project missionaries and short-term missionaries. The ECC has a worldwide membership of almost 278,000.
Membership is concentrated primarily in three regions of the United States: the Midwest, along the West Coast, and in the Great Plains region. California has the largest number of members, but the highest rates of membership are in Minnesota, Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska, and Washington.
). The Evangelical Covenant Church maintains ties with the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
(formerly known as the Svenska Missionsförbundet; see Svenska Missionskyrkan and CIPE), and the other churches in the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches
.
In the 1920s, Warner Sallman
created illustrations for the denominational magazine, Covenant Companion, including his charcoal sketch The Son of Man for a 1924 magazine cover that was later redone as the famous oil painting The Head of Christ.
Many figures in the Jesus Movement
have formally linked themselves to the ECC.
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Christian denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
of more than 800 congregations and an average worship attendance of 179,000 people in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants
Swedish American
Swedish Americans are Americans of Swedish descent, especially the descendants of about 1.2 million immigrants from Sweden during 1885-1915. Most were Lutherans who affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ; some were Methodists...
, the church is now one of the most rapidly growing and multi-ethnic denominations in North America. Historically Lutheran in theology and background, it is now a broadly evangelical movement.
Background
Swedish Lutheran immigrants founded the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America (now ECC) on February 20, 1885, in Chicago, Illinois.A pietistic religious awakening had swept through Sweden around the middle of the 19th century. Out of this awakening and reformation came the Swedish Mission Covenant Church in 1878. The state church discouraged the gathering of these believers. It was people from this movement that emigrated to America and formed the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America. Early leaders and influences included P.P. Waldenström
Paul Petter Waldenström
Paul Petter Waldenström was a Swedish theologian who became the most prominent leader of the free church movement in late 19th century Sweden....
, 1838–1917; Frans-Gustav Petersson-Haggquist, 1843–1936; Axel E. Karlson, 1858–1910; David Nyvall
David Nyvall
David Nyvall was a Swedish immigrant to the United States and church leader who helped shape the Evangelical Covenant Church and establish North Park University in Chicago.-Background:...
, 1863–1946; et al. They desired to create a voluntary covenant of churches that were committed to sharing the Gospel of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, as well as provide means for ministerial training. The name was changed to the Evangelical Covenant Church of America in 1954 and the "of America" was eventually abandoned because the denomination includes a Canadian conference.
Status
The denominational offices are located in Chicago, Illinois, where they also operate North Park UniversityNorth Park University
North Park University is a four-year university located at 3225 W. Foster Avenue on the north side of Chicago, Illinois in the North Park neighborhood. It was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church and shares its campus with the denomination's only seminary...
, North Park Theological Seminary
North Park Theological Seminary
North Park Theological Seminary is a seminary located in the North Park neighborhood of the city of Chicago, Illinois. It is the sole graduate theological school of the Evangelical Covenant Church...
and Swedish Covenant Hospital
Swedish Covenant Hospital
Swedish Covenant Hospital is a comprehensive health care facility providing health and wellness services to the communities of Chicago’s North and Northwest sides. As an established academic and community hospital, Swedish Covenant Hospital offers a full range of medical programs, including cancer,...
. There are related Bible colleges in Alaska and California. (See Alaska Christian College, and Centro Hispano de Estudios Teológicos).
The church also operates Minnehaha Academy
Minnehaha Academy
Minnehaha Academy is a Christian private school in Minneapolis, Minnesota for students in preschool through 12th grade, and established in 1913. It is owned by the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and is located in the Cooper and Longfellow neighborhoods. The student body...
, a private K-12 school with three campuses in Minneapolis.
The church is divided into ten regional conferences - Canada Conference, Central Conference, East Coast Conference (org. 1890), Great Lakes Conference, Midsouth Conference, Midwest Conference, North Pacific Conference, Northwest Conference, Pacific Southwest Conference, and Southeast Conference - and one administrative region - Alaska. The highest authority is an annual meeting of delegates sent by the local congregations. Covenant Publications is the publishing arm of the denomination. The denominational hymnal is The Covenant Hymnal: A Worship Book. A major church ministry is not-for-profit senior housing, the ECC being one of the top ten suppliers of such housing in the United States.
As of 2009, membership was 123,529 in 778 congregations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(42 states) and an estimated 1500 members in 23 congregations in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(5 provinces). Average attendance in 2009 was 178,997. The denomination also has ongoing missions work in 25 countries worldwide, with 125 long term missionaries, project missionaries and short-term missionaries. The ECC has a worldwide membership of almost 278,000.
Membership is concentrated primarily in three regions of the United States: the Midwest, along the West Coast, and in the Great Plains region. California has the largest number of members, but the highest rates of membership are in Minnesota, Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska, and Washington.
Other
Forerunners of the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant were the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ansgar Synod and the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Synod. When members of the two synods dissolved and the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant was formed, some of those who did not enter the Mission Covenant formed the Swedish Evangelical Free Mission (now the Evangelical Free Church of AmericaEvangelical Free Church of America
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an evangelical Christian denomination. The EFCA was formed in 1950 from the merger of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association.-History:...
). The Evangelical Covenant Church maintains ties with the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
Mission Covenant Church of Sweden
The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden , founded in 1878, is a Swedish Reformed free church. It is the second-largest Christian denomination in the country, after the national church, the Church of Sweden...
(formerly known as the Svenska Missionsförbundet; see Svenska Missionskyrkan and CIPE), and the other churches in the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches
International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches
International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches is a worldwide federation of 42 national federations of evangelical free churches. The member federations predominantly originate from Europe and the Americas...
.
In the 1920s, Warner Sallman
Warner Sallman
Warner Sallman was a Christian painter from Chicago. He created commercial advertising images and worked as a freelance illustrator. He is most associated with his portrait, The Head of Christ of which more than 500 million copies have been sold...
created illustrations for the denominational magazine, Covenant Companion, including his charcoal sketch The Son of Man for a 1924 magazine cover that was later redone as the famous oil painting The Head of Christ.
Many figures in the Jesus Movement
Jesus movement
The Jesus movement was a movement in Christianity beginning on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and spreading primarily through North America and Europe, before dying out by the early 1980s. It was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture,...
have formally linked themselves to the ECC.
Notable Members of the Evangelical Covenant Church
- Missionary Doctor Paul CarlsonPaul CarlsonPaul Carlson was an American medical missionary of the Evangelical Covenant Church that served in Wasolo, a city in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, killed in 1964. - President of the Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and former head coach of both the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
and the Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
Mike HolmgrenMike HolmgrenMichael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
. - ABC News Medical Editor Dr. G. Timothy Johnson.
- Members of The Fray (band)The Fray (band)The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King, they achieved success with the release of their debut album, How to Save a Life in 2005, which was certified double platinum by the RIAA and platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand...
David Welsh and Ben WysockiBen WysockiBenjamin Wysocki is the drummer for Denver-based piano rock band The Fray.-Early life:Wysocki was born in Denver, Colorado, in a conservative household. After struggling with piano lessons , he began to learn how to play drums in the sixth grade... - Artist Warner SallmanWarner SallmanWarner Sallman was a Christian painter from Chicago. He created commercial advertising images and worked as a freelance illustrator. He is most associated with his portrait, The Head of Christ of which more than 500 million copies have been sold...
- Musician Lincoln BrewsterLincoln BrewsterLincoln Brewster is a contemporary Christian musician and pastor. As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Brewster became a sought-after session guitarist in the early 90s. Brewster is the senior worship pastor at Bayside Church in Roseville, California.-Biography:Brewster has been musically...
- Miss America 2008 Kirsten HaglundKirsten HaglundKirsten Lora Haglund is a beauty queen from Farmington Hills, Michigan who was Miss America 2008.-Biography:Haglund graduated from Walled Lake Western High School in 2006 and spent one year pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in...
- Lifechurch.tv Pastor Craig GroeschelCraig GroeschelCraig Groeschel is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, a church with fourteen locations in five states. He is married with six children and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where LifeChurch.tv is based....
External links
- Official website
- North Park University
- North Park Theological Seminary
- Alaska Christian College
- Minnehaha Academy
- Swedish Covenant Hospital
- Pacific Southwest Conference
- Adherents.com membership numbers for the ECC
- East Coast Conference (org. 1890)
- Covenant Bookstore - Find church resources and Covenant Publications here.
- Profile of the Evangelical Covenant Church on the Association of Religion Data Archives website