Who We Are
Beliefs & Identity
Our faith is guided by six core affirmations that keep us centered on Jesus, anchored in Scripture, dependent on the Holy Spirit, and engaged in God’s mission. We are evangelical but not exclusive, biblical but not doctrinaire, traditional but not rigid, congregational but not independent.
What We Believe
Rooted in Scripture, centered on Christ.
The immigrants who founded the Covenant were products of a trans-Atlantic evangelical renewal movement that emphasized life in the Spirit over rigid confessions. Valuing genuine devotion over empty ritual, they viewed personal faith as evidence of a vital relationship with Jesus Christ — and asked each other, “How goes your walk with Jesus?” and “What do the Scriptures say?”
While the Covenant is nonconfessional, we take our theology and our history seriously, and we value the early creeds. Our common Christian affirmations are that we are an apostolic, catholic, Reformation, and evangelical church. In that heritage, we share central Christian beliefs, which draw us together in faith and fellowship and make possible a freedom among us on more widely ranging issues.
Our Six Affirmations
- We affirm the centrality of the word of God.
- We affirm the necessity of the new birth.
- We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the church.
- We affirm the church as a fellowship of believers.
- We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
- We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
Our Identity
Who is the Evangelical Covenant Church?
The Covenant values the Bible as the word of God and connection with the living Christ. We celebrate the gift of God’s grace and ever-deepening spiritual life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe in the importance of extending God’s love and compassion and participating in advancing God’s justice in a broken world.
“We are evangelical but not exclusive, biblical but not doctrinaire, traditional but not rigid, congregational but not independent.”
Our Covenant
What covenant do we make with one another?
In order to live out this identity, we covenant with each other.
We cultivate communities of worship committed to prayer, preaching, and study of the word; the celebration of the sacraments; and relationships across gender, ethnicity, age, culture, and socioeconomic status.
We equip loving, giving, growing Christians to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ — evangelizing the lost, ministering to those in need, and seeking justice for the oppressed.
Our Resolutions
Resolutions of the Evangelical Covenant Church
For our Christian faith to be vibrant, it has to speak to our culture — even on complex and difficult issues like abortion, war, sexuality, poverty, and religious persecution.
The Christian Action Commission prepares resolutions on ethical and political issues, informed by biblical perspective. Proposed resolutions are reviewed by the Executive Board and brought to a vote by delegates at the Covenant Annual Meeting.
In the Covenant tradition, resolutions are not binding — our long-standing emphasis on freedom in Christ means individual churches and members are free to weigh them carefully. But they carry significant weight as the majority opinion of the Annual Meeting, the highest decision-making body in our denomination. They offer theological grounding on difficult issues, guidance for churches and individuals, and a call to engage more deeply with how we live our faith in the world.
How We Live It Out
Our five mission priorities.
Our mission priorities are what guide everything we do. We believe so strongly in these five priorities that we have organized our ministry life around them. From church planting and biblical justice to global missions, leadership development, discipleship, and racial reconciliation, we seek to build a holistic body of Christ.
Start & Strengthen Churches
Planting and empowering Covenant churches to multiply and thrive.
Serve Clergy
Forming and supporting pastors and ministry leaders through advocacy, endorsement, care, and formation.
Make & Deepen Disciples
Mobilizing a multiethnic movement of disciples who make disciples of all ages.
Love Mercy Do Justice
Pursuing justice, extending compassion, and joining God to make things right in our broken world.
Serve Globally
We join the global Church through global partnerships and sending global personnel to engage in God’s mission across cultures and around the world.
Questions? Call (773) 784-3000 or email info@covchurch.org
