What Is A Covenant Church?

We belong to a denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church, which is comprised of more than 700 congregations in the US and Canada, and many hundreds more worldwide.

What Characterizes a Covenant Church?

-- Evangelical, but not exclusive
-- Biblical, but not doctrinaire
-- Traditional, but not rigid
-- Congregational, but not independent

What Does A Covenant Church Believe?

On one level, the answer is quite simple. When new members join a Covenant church, they are asked two questions about belief: “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and promise to follow him as Lord?” and “Do you accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct?” They are then asked if they intend to live as faithful followers of Christ and members of the church and denomination.

That’s all. That is enough.

But on another level, of course, the answer is a good deal more complex. While the Covenant Church does not require adherence to any written creed, we take our theology very seriously, and our history as well. We are a Reformation church, a part of the Church universal, and an evangelical church. In that heritage, we share certain central beliefs, which draw us together in faith and fellowship and make possible a freedom among us on more widely ranging issues.