Evangelical Covenant Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Evangelical Covenant Church |
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| Abbreviation | ECC |
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Evangelical |
| Theology | Radical Pietism |
| Polity | Congregational |
| Region | United States, Canada |
| Origin | 1885 Chicago, Illinois |
| Separated from | Lutheranism |
| Branched from | Mission Friends |
| Congregations | 878 |
| Members | 129,015 |
The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is a Christian church group that started with ideas from Pietist Lutheran traditions. This church group has 129,015 members in 878 churches. About 219,000 people attend their worship services each week in the United States and Canada. The ECC also has ministries in many countries around the world.
Contents
How the Church Began
The Evangelical Covenant Church started with Swedish immigrants. These immigrants were called Mission Friends. They had separated from the Lutheran Church of Sweden. They wanted to form a new church where they could worship more freely.
In the 1880s, these Mission Friends held meetings. They decided to create a group of mission churches. Most of them joined together on February 20, 1885. They formed the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America in Chicago, Illinois. A smaller group stayed independent. They became the Swedish Evangelical Free Church.
A New Way to Worship
Around the mid-1800s, a religious movement called Pietism became popular in Sweden. Some Swedes felt the state church was too strict. They started meeting in homes for private services. They would sing hymns and read their Bibles.
However, a law called the Conventicle Act (until 1858) stopped them from holding private religious meetings. This made them want to be part of a church where they could worship freely. This movement led to the Swedish Mission Church in 1878.
Coming to North America
Many people from this movement moved to North America. There, they formed the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America. Important early leaders included Carl August Björk, Paul Petter Waldenström, and David Nyvall. They wanted to create a group of churches that would share the Gospel of Jesus. They also wanted to train new ministers.
The church's name changed to the Evangelical Covenant Church of America in 1954. Later, "of America" was removed. This was because the church also includes a Canadian conference.
Where the Church Is Today
The main offices for the Evangelical Covenant Church are in Chicago, Illinois. They are connected with North Park University and North Park Theological Seminary there. The church also has ties to Minnehaha Academy. This is a school for students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The church is divided into eleven regional groups. These include the Canada Conference and the Alaska Conference. The Alaska Conference started as a mission in 1887. It became a full conference in 2015.
Church Activities and Growth
The church holds annual meetings. Representatives from each church attend these meetings. They report back to their local churches.
Covenant Publications helps the church communicate. The church's hymn book is called The Covenant Hymnal: A Worship Book.
A big part of the church's work is helping older people. They have senior living facilities. Some of these, like The Samarkand and Covenant Shores, are considered top facilities in the United States.
As of 2011, the church had 124,669 members in 820 churches in the United States. It also had about 1,500 members in 23 churches in Canada. The church also does mission work in 25 countries. It has almost 278,000 members worldwide.
Most members in the United States live in the Midwest, along the West Coast, and in the Great Plains region. California has the most members. However, Minnesota, Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska, and Washington have the highest percentage of people who are members.
Other Interesting Facts
The Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant was formed from earlier groups. These included the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ansgar Synod and the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Synod. Some people who did not join the Mission Covenant formed the Swedish Evangelical Free Mission. This is now the Evangelical Free Church of America. The Evangelical Covenant Church still has connections with the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden.
In the 1920s, Warner Sallman drew pictures for the church's magazine, Covenant Companion. One of his drawings, The Son of Man, became the famous painting The Head of Christ.
Since 1976, the church has allowed women to become ministers.
Many people from the Jesus Movement have joined the ECC.
In 2022, Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim became the first female president of the church.
Notable Members
Many well-known people have been part of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Some of them include:
- Lincoln Brewster, a musician
- Paul Carlson, a missionary doctor
- Alice Cooper, a singer, songwriter, and actor
- Nils Frykman, a hymn writer
- Kirsten Haglund, who was Miss America 2008
- Mike Holmgren, a former Super Bowl-winning football coach
- Timothy Johnson, a medical editor for ABC News
- Warner Sallman, an artist
