Evangelical Covenant Church

[bookslover]

Does anyone on the PB know anything about the denomination called the Evangelical Covenant Church? A friend of mine is checking one of them out, but neither she nor I know much about them (it turns out they have more than 30 congregations here in southern California).

Any info would be appreciated.

 

[yeutter]

The Evangelical Covenant Church used to be called the Swedish Mission Covenant Church. It's origins were in the pietistic revivals that swept Scandinavia a century and a half ago. The Evangelical Free Church, The Lutheran Brethren Church, and the Apostolic Lutheran Church are other denominations with roots in the same revivals. The Evangelical Covenant Church has drifted from its conservative pietist roots. North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago is one of their schools.

 

[PMBrooks]

I have had some experience with the ECC lately because of the multi-ethnic bent of the denomination. The church plant where I am pastor is an SBC-affiliated church plant and multi-ethnic.

The ECC is broadly evangelical and has a range of churches. I went to one of their conferences several months ago. I would say they are still broadly conservative, but definitely not "reformed" in the Westminster sense of the word. I met pastors and leaders who were broadly evangelical and semi-reformed to those who were 5-point Calvinists. The denomination is officially egalitarian, though there are several pastors who are complementarian in orientation.

The ECC's draw is that it is a close association of churches, but each church is able to remain semi-independent in a congregational form of governance. They have an urban focus, which is also a draw for many churches. I would say there is room in their denomination for 5-point, Westminster Calvinists, but one has to be willing to work with others of VERY different viewpoints within the denomination.

These are merely my impressions from that brief contact. Hope it helps!

 

[bookslover]

Taking these posts together, it sounds like a denomination with a conservative history that might be in the early stages of going liberal.

 

[yeutter]

Evangelical Covenant Church well on its way to liberalism

Taking these posts together, it sounds like a denomination with a conservative history that might be in the early stages of going liberal.

Given how liberal North Park Seminary is: I would say the Evangelical Covenant Church is well on its way to going over to liberalism.
This drift to the left may have commenced before North Park went liberal. Some of my Scandinavian friends tell me the root of this drift to liberalism is long standing. They say that early in the history of the Swedish Pietist movement a large group of conservatives broke away from what became the Evangelical Covenant Church and joined with Danes and Norwegians to form the Evangelical Free Church. Some of my Apostolic Lutheran Church friends say that the Evangelical Covenant Church are just Swedish Methodists.
At least one conservative, former mainstream, Presbyterian Church in Michigan is now affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church.

 

[beej6]

Richard,
When I lived in SoCal, specifically the South Bay, one of the "default" evangelical megachurches was ECC - Rolling Hills Covenant. A lovely large church (had occasion to attend a memorial service there), and at that time 10 years ago was still considered evangelical in the good sense.

Blessings,