How is your denomination different from others?
Evangelical Free Church Distinctives
The Evangelical Free Church of America believes in
liberty with responsibility and accountability.
We believe in Christian liberty, but freedom always
has its limitations. Responsible Christians do not
abuse freedom. The Apostle Paul wrote forcefully
about Christian liberty in the book of Galatians. He
shattered the legalists with the doctrine of grace.
But in First and Second Corinthians and Romans, the
apostle also rebuked believers when liberty was
abused. He declared boldly the principles of
Christian liberty but spoke with equal forcefulness
about Christian accountability. The Evangelical Free
Church desires to preserve our freedom in Christ and
encourage our people to be responsible, godly men,
women and young people who desire to live under the
control of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the
principals and precepts of God's Word and in harmony
with God's will for life as revealed in the
Scriptures.
The Evangelical Free Church of America believes in
both the rational and relational
dimensions of Christianity.
We believe the Scriptures must be applied to our
individual lives with warmth of heart, warmth of
message and warmth of concern. We believe it is
essential to have solid biblical content in our
doctrinal understanding of faith, but it is equally
important to have a dynamic, vital relationship with
God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son and to
live by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sound
Christian doctrine must be coupled with dynamic
Christian experience. Ours is a ministry of love and
reconciliation.
The Evangelical Free Church of America affirms the
right of each local church to govern its own
affairs.
The Evangelical Free Church is committed to a
congregational form of government as stated in
Article 10 of our Confession of Faith: "We believe
that Jesus Christ is Lord and Head of the Church and
that every local church has the right, under Christ,
to decide and govern its own affairs."
Strong pastoral leadership coupled with discerning and
well-equipped Christian lay people can produce
spiritual growth as well as significant church
growth. The New Testament emphasizes the importance
of the Body of Christ ministering through the
spiritual gifts that have been given to each
believer. "Congregational in government" means that
each local church governs its own affairs. Within
the local church, the highest human authority rests
in the congregation.