Evangelical Free Church of America
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) 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.
The EFCA shares some early ties with those who formed the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church
. It has been a member of the National Association of Evangelicals
since 1943, the year after that organization was formed.
; Christ as head of the church and the local church's right to self government; the personal, premillennial
, imminent return of Christ; the bodily resurrection of the dead; and the two ordinances of water baptism
and the Lord's Supper
. In addition, the church claims six distinctives:
The EFCA passed a substantial revision to its Statement of Faith on June 26, 2008, the first revision since the Statement was first adopted in 1950. This revision was proposed in order “to update archaic language, to clarify some theological ambiguities, to seek greater theological precision, to address new issues, to have a SOF that would be better suited to be used as a teaching tool in our churches.” Specific beliefs based on biblical interpretation can vary somewhat due to the congregational governance system that gives autonomy to individual local EFCA churches.
The EFCA is divided into 17 regional districts which, among other responsibilities, examines and approves applicants for ordination. The denomination maintains headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and engages in ministries in education, publications, senior housing, children's homes, and camp facilities. The EFCA supports the mission of Trinity International University
and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
in Deerfield, Illinois; Trinity Law School
in Santa Ana, California; and supports Trinity Western University
in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
The Evangelical Free Church is a member of the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches
.
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...
. 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 Swedish Evangelical Free Church formed as the Swedish Evangelical Free Mission in Boone, Iowa, in October 1884. Several churches that had been members of the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ansgar Synod and the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Synod, along with some independent congregations, were instrumental in organizing this voluntary fellowship. In the same year, two Norwegian-Danish groups in Boston, Massachusetts, and Tacoma, Washington, began to fellowship together. By 1912, they had formed the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. The Swedish and Norwegian-Danish bodies united in June 1950 at a merger conference held at the Medicine Lake Conference Grounds near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The two bodies represented 275 local congregations at the time of the merger.The EFCA shares some early ties with those who formed the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church
Evangelical Covenant Church
The Evangelical Covenant Church 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...
. It has been a member of the National Association of Evangelicals
National Association of Evangelicals
The National Association of Evangelicals is a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations, and individuals. Its goal is to honor God by connecting and representing evangelicals in the United States. Today it works in four main areas: Church & Faith Partners, Government Relations,...
since 1943, the year after that organization was formed.
Doctrine
In its Statement of Faith, the Evangelical Free Church of America affirms the authority and inerrancy of the Bible; the Trinity; atonement through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; original sinOriginal sin
Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
; Christ as head of the church and the local church's right to self government; the personal, premillennial
Premillennialism
Premillennialism in Christian end-times theology is the belief that Jesus will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign, at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus’ physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration...
, imminent return of Christ; the bodily resurrection of the dead; and the two ordinances of water baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and the Lord's Supper
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
. In addition, the church claims six distinctives:
- Inclusive not exclusive: Believers are united in Christ by faith in JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
as Lord and Savior; unity on every fine point of doctrine is not required in order to become a member of the denomination - Evangelical, but not separatistic: Has a strong commitment to the authority and inerrancy of scripture, but does not over-emphasize minor issues of doctrine
- Ecumenical in spirit, but not in structure: The church is united spiritually in Christ, but need not be united structurally
- Affirms Christian liberty with responsibility and accountability
- Believes that both sound Christian doctrine and an active relationship with God are essential to the life of the believer
- Committed to a congregational form of church government
The EFCA passed a substantial revision to its Statement of Faith on June 26, 2008, the first revision since the Statement was first adopted in 1950. This revision was proposed in order “to update archaic language, to clarify some theological ambiguities, to seek greater theological precision, to address new issues, to have a SOF that would be better suited to be used as a teaching tool in our churches.” Specific beliefs based on biblical interpretation can vary somewhat due to the congregational governance system that gives autonomy to individual local EFCA churches.
Structure
The word Free in the Evangelical Free Church's name refers to its congregational polity, meaning each member church is autonomous. The governing body of the EFCA is the Leadership Conference held annually. Delegates to the conference are credentialed ministers, chaplains, tenured university faculty, and representatives of each EFCA church. The Leadership Conference elects the board of directors which acts as the governing body between Leadership Conference meetings. As chair of the Directional Team, the President coordinates the work of the various national boards and ministries. The office of the President has responsibility for reviewing the licensing and ordaining of ministers and, in addition, oversees the discipline and restoration process for pastors.The EFCA is divided into 17 regional districts which, among other responsibilities, examines and approves applicants for ordination. The denomination maintains headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and engages in ministries in education, publications, senior housing, children's homes, and camp facilities. The EFCA supports the mission of Trinity International University
Trinity International University
Trinity International University is an evangelical Christian institution of higher education headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises an undergraduate college, a graduate school, a theological seminary , and a law school--together with nearly 3,000 students...
and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is an evangelical Christian seminary located in Deerfield, Illinois. TEDS is one of the largest seminaries in the world, enrolling more than 1,200 graduate students in professional and academic programs, including more than 150 in its PhD programs...
in Deerfield, Illinois; Trinity Law School
Trinity Law School
Trinity Law School , or the Law School, Trinity International University is a private, nonprofit law school located in Santa Ana, California, United States.-Background and origins:...
in Santa Ana, California; and supports Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University is a private, Christian liberal arts university located in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.The school was founded in 1962 as Trinity Junior College, and now enrolls approximately 4000 students and sits on a campus....
in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
The Evangelical Free Church is a member of 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...
.
Membership trends
The EFCA has experienced tremendous growth since its formation in 1950, at which time there were 20,000 members and under 300 congregations. By the 1980s there were over 800 congregations and over 100,000 members. In 2003, the Association reported 300,000 members in over 1,400 congregations. In 2010, the EFCA reported a weekly attendance of 357,709 in 1,480 congregations. As of 2000, California had the largest number of congregations with 175. However, membership is primarily concentrated in the Midwest.EFCA Presidents
- William J. Hamel: 1997–present
- Paul A. Cedar: 1990–1996
- Thomas A. McDill: 1976–1990
- Arnold T. Olson: 1951–1976
- E.A. Halleen: 1950–1951
Others
- Walter Kaiser, Jr.Walter Kaiser, Jr.Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. is an American evangelical Old Testament scholar, writer, public speaker, and educator. Kaiser is the Colman M. Mockler distinguished Professor of Old Testament and former President of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, retired June 30, 2006...
, Gordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryGordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryGordon–Conwell Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary whose main campus is based in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, with three other campuses in Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina and Jacksonville. The current president of Gordon-Conwell is Dennis Hollinger...
President Emeritus and Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
professor - Chuck SwindollChuck SwindollCharles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages...
, Dallas Theological SeminaryDallas Theological SeminaryDallas Theological Seminary is an evangelical theological seminary located in Dallas, Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system known as Dispensationalism...
former president - Tina WessonTina WessonTina Wesson won $1,000,000 as the winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback. A married personal nurse from Knoxville, Tennessee, Wesson outlasted 15 other players to become the first woman to win the $1 million prize in 2001. She did not have any votes cast against her at Tribal Council...
, winner of Survivor: The Australian OutbackSurvivor: The Australian OutbackSurvivor: The Australian Outback is the second season of the United States reality show Survivor. Filming took place at Goshen Station in northern Queensland during 2000 and aired from January 28, 2001 to May 3, 2001 on CBS...
, is a member and occasional speaker.
External links
- Evangelical Free Church of America – official Web Site
- Trinity International University
- Adherents.com
- Some records of the Evangelical Free Church of America are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.