Distinctives
1. The Evangelical Free Church of
America is inclusive not exclusive.
The great heritage of Evangelical Free Church people
around the world includes the fact that fellowship and ministry opportunities in
the local church are based solely on one's personal faith in Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord and trusting in Him alone for salvation. Membership
requires commitment to sound doctrine as expressed in our Statement
of Faith. However, a person is not excluded from membership because he
or she does not agree on every fine point of doctrine. Within the
Evangelical Free Church, there is allowance for legitimate differences of
understanding in some areas of doctrine.
2. The Evangelical Free Church of
America is evangelical but not separatistic.
The Evangelical Free Church was born out of a heritage of
commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. We have deep
convictions based on the authority of God's Word, but we do not draw battle
lines over minor points. nor do we make minor issues of doctrine a test of
fellowship in the local church. We are evangelical. We believe in
separated living and personal holiness, but we are not separatists.
3. The Evangelical Free Church of
America is ecumenical in spirit though not in structure.
We believe in the spiritual unity of the Church though
not necessarily in structural union. We join with other Christians and
other denominations of like, precious faith in common goals and ministries to
accomplish the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But we believe
that there is strength in diversity and that it is important to preserve our
distinctives. We recognize that union in structure does not guarantee
unity of spirit. Our foremost concern is unity of spirit with our Lord,
with each other and with other Christians.
4. 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.
We 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 principles and precepts of God's Word, and in harmony with God's will for
life as revealed in the Scriptures.
5. 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
spiritual reconciliation.
6. 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. While the EFCA affirms the right of each local church
to govern its own affairs, we also believe in the biblical values of
interdependence and cooperation. We are a movement of churches committed
to working with one another in order to fulfill the Great Commission in the
United States and abroad. This is only possible when there are strong ties
with other EFCA churches, with local district organizations and with the
national EFCA ministries.
