Evangelical Free

This is what they say. http://www.efca.org/about-efca/statement-faith

 

I'm of Swedish decent and attended an Evangelical Free Church once in a while as a new Christian back in the early 70's
(Curiously I attended a nearby Evangelical Covenant Church [in Northbrook IL] regularly but the theology must not have rubbed off on me).

You've given a fair generalization.

Rob

 

I attended Evangelical Free churches for years, and was married in one of them. In practice, the services and preaching do seem pretty much to be the same as Baptists.
I did notice, they were a bit softer on the baptism question, like my pastor once suggested that Luther saw baptism as being sort of the successor to circumcision.

 

Religious Bodies, 1936:

Pocket Dictionary of North American Denominations:

 

Christianity Today 7-14-2008 "It's Not Broke, So Fix It: New EFCA Statement of Faith":

The rank and file saints of the church also beat back an an ill-conceived attempt to purge the Bible's premillennial teaching from their statement of faith:applause:

 

Here is the whole quote in context from the EFCA Statement of Faith:

"We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer."

There are no hidden messages. In fact, the SoF clearly states that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not the means of salvation. Also, the EFC refers to them as ordinances, not sacraments -- which would be more in line with Lutherans.

Yes, both baptism and the Lord's Supper visibly and tangibly express the Gospel. To me, this is rather obvious. Also the way they may see this is is that baptism confirms the believer and the Lord's Supper nourishes the believer. From the apostle John, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him."

 

I've heard of Free Evangelical church before (don't recall where though) is that the samething? I read the link, didn't sound very biblcal to me.

 

Yes, they are related.

North Park News

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Chuck Swindoll was a long time EVFree pastor.

I've worked with them in the northern plains and found them agreeable to various forms of church, but solidly "baptist" when it came to what counts--salvation. Also found them much like the SBC prior to 1979.

 

Yes, they are solid on salvation. My son attends the local Evangelical Free church. His wife was saved and converted from mormonism in that church, but I have yet to see or hear of a baptism of any kind. My son was was saved and then baptized as his first step of obedience in my Baptist church before my retired Pastor railed on mormons and ran my daughter-in-law off. I keep praying that now that she is saved, she will come back.

They have a praise band and sing praise songs there. It is very casual.
Not my kind of worship, but they are scripturally correct.....saved by grace! They have open communion, and we don't. Those are the differences I can think of right off hand.

 

Bill Kynes, (Pastor of Cornerstone EFC, Annandale, VA), in the Summer 2005 issue of the The Ministerial Forum (Evangelical Free Church
Ministerial Association) "Baptism and the EFCA":

In the same newsletter, EFCA President Bill Hamel admits:

http://www.efca.org/files/document/pastoral-care/Ministerial_Forum_9-05.pdf

Apparently one can be a member of an EF church without ever having had either a real baptism or an infant pseudo-baptism?

 

I believe they would answer that as NO. You see, REAL baptism doesn't happen with water. It happens at salvation--baptism of the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is an outward sign of that inward occurence.

So like many, they do not consider someone who has not undergone a human administered rite unbaptized.

 

Wow. Except they didn't quibble about such a distinction:

No nitpicking water/Spirit caveats there.


Yes, there are a few other churches that have accepted as members those who have not been [water] baptized: Quakers, Salvation Army, and Hyperdispensationalists.

 

I'm a Baptist from a GARBC local church. I have a very good relationship with an EFCA church. They are in my opinion very baptist in just about every respect however they are less ridgid when it comes to enforcement. The local EFC here would not accept a non baptised by immersion member canidate or a person baptised as a infant.

They also are not as ridgid when it comes to membership in the local church. It is possible that a non-member can have a role in ministries, obviously though a non-member isn't going to be made a deacon or elder or be allowed to vote on business matters. This is an area of conflict for me as I appreciate the fact that there is much less pressure to join (and conform) but it also creates an environment that could be thought of as not caring if a person is a member or not. After all, we do want to be members and in a sense considered acceptable to those around us.

In my opinion, most conservative, fundamental, evangelical baptists would be comfortable in an Evangelical Free Church setting. If however, you are an IFB Baptist, you may consider them to be somewhat liberal. Many EFC pastors were trained in Baptist Seminaries or approved Baptist schools. The EFC supported seminary is Trinity what has a diverse alumni. The several EFC local organizations near here are dispensational and the one I know well is pastored by a graduate of Baptist Bible Seminary in Clarks Summit PA. They are a little more accepting of parachurch groups and other conservative evangelical churches than my GARBC church.

In case you are wondering, I'm seriously considering joining a EFCA church. This is a matter of much conflict for me. If I do, I will of course have to quit this forum, I'm not big presence here but I have to say it.

 

Thomas, you don't have to quit the forum if you switch to EFCA. Just simply declare your change, edit your profile and post in the non-Baptist forums. No need to run off.