Delegates to the 137th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church voted today to remove Awaken Covenant Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, from its roster of churches. It is the second congregation to be involuntarily removed in the denomination’s history.
Awaken Covenant Church, which has been a Covenant congregation since 2010, acknowledged that they have adopted policies and practices that are inconsistent with the denomination’s human sexuality guidelines. They do not intend to bring the congregation to align with the Covenant’s position. Rather than leave voluntarily, they chose to bring their case to the Annual Meeting.
“We are always grieved when fellowship is broken,” said Tim Rodgers, chair of the Covenant Executive Board, after the vote. “We pray for God’s blessing on Awaken and the Covenant Church as we each continue to join God in mission.”
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