"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no man can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, with which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10

About Us

Our Statement of Faith:

We believe:

1. God: We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
                         
2. The Bible: We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
                         
3. The Human Condition: We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
                         
4. Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.

5. The Work of Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
                         
6. The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
                         
7. The Church: 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.
                         
8. Christian Living: We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
                         
9. Christ’s Return: We believe in the personal, bodily and premillennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

10. Response and Human Destiny: We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.


Our Statement of Values:

VALUES FOR GODLY WORSHIP:

1. We are committed to dependence on God (Deut. 6:5-9, Jos. 24:14) Grace EFC exists for God and His purposes. In every person and program God is first. He is to be experienced and is to be pleased.

2. We are committed to Bible-centered exposition. (Deut. 8:3, Mt. 4:4, Acts 2:42-43) Grace EFC believes the Bible is God's inspired Word and is the authority for faith and practice in our daily living. God's Word is both timeless and timely. It is relevant to the common needs of people at all times and for all cultures.

3. We are committed to prayer (Mt. 7:7-11. Jam. 5:13-18)
We believe that God desires His people to pray and that He hears and answers prayer.

4. We are committed to inspired worship (Ps. 100. Heb. 12:18-29)
Grace EFC is a community of believers who eagerly strive to allow God to be present in our public gathering. We believe that God is most greatly glorified and pleased when we worship Him through the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.


VALUES FOR GODLY WALK:

5. We are committed to Spirit-led lay ministry (Eph. 4:12)
We believe that the primary responsibility of the pastor(s) and elders at Grace EFC is to prepare God's people for their individual Christian work.

6. We are committed to godly character and integrity (Col.1:10. 1Th. 2:12)
We believe that Christ has called His people out of this world to be witnesses for Him, to obey His commandments, and to live lovingly and biblically toward our neighbors whether they are fellow believers or those who Christ seeks to save.


VALUE FOR GODLY WITNESS:

7. We are committed to godly leadership (1Tim. 3:17, Tit. 1:6-9)
We believe that Christ is ultimately the only head of the church and that He has chosen to function through leaders within the local church. We believe that these leaders must meet the biblical qualification of leadership.

8. We are committed to unity through teamwork (Ecc. 1:9, Rom. 12:5, 1Cor. 12:27). We believe that God has brought each of us into this family of believers at Grace EFC with unique gifts and abilities. While we each have different gifts, we are to work together in a spirit of unity and cooperation in order to build Christ's Church.

9. We are committed to excellence in ministry (Prov. 27:27, Mal. 1:6-14, Col. 3:17). We believe that excellence honors God and inspires people in faith, commitment, and worship. We further believe that it is our Lord's desire that we strive for excellence. He deserves the best we have to offer.

10. We are committed to reaching our community for Christ (Mt. 28:18-20. 1Pet. 3:15-16). We believe that evangelism begins with warm fellowship, friendliness, and the spirit of valuing the importance of people as our Lord values them. We believe that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring people into His kingdom.


Distinctives of the Evangelical Free Church of America (http://www.efca.org):


THE EFCA IS INCLUSIVE NOT EXCLUSIVE:

The great heritage of the Evangelical Free Church people around the world includes the fact that fellowship and ministry opportunities in the local church are based solely on one's personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and trusting Him alone for salvation. Membership requires commitment to sound doctrine as expressed in our Statement of Faith. A person is not, however, excluded from membership because he or she does not agree to every fine point of doctrine.


THE EFCA IS EVANGELICAL BUT NOT SEPARATISTIC:
The evangelical Free Church was born out of a heritage of commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. We have a deep conviction based on the authority of God's inerrant Word, but we do not draw battle lines over minor points.


THE EFCA IS ECUMENICAL IN SPIRIT THOUGH NOT
IN STRUCTURE:
We join with other Christians and other denominations of like faith in common goals and ministries to accomplish the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.


THE EFCA BELIEVES IN LIBERTY WITH RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
We believe in Christian liberty, but freedom always has its limitation. We encourage our people to be responsible, godly men, women, and young people who desire to live under the control of the Holy Spirit, in obedience to the principles and precepts of God's Word.


THE EFCA BELIEVES IN THE RATIONAL AND RELATIONSHIP DIMENTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY:
We believe the Scriptues must be applied to our lives with warmth of heart, and concern. Sound Christian doctrine must be coupled with dynamic Christian experience. Ours is a ministry of love and spiritual reconciliation.


THE EFCA AFFIRMS THE RIGHT OF EACH LOCAL CHURCH TO GOVERN ITS OWN AFFAIRS:
We are committed to a congregational form of government. Strong pastoral leadership coupled with discerning and well-equipped Christian lay people can produce spiritual growth as well as significant church growth. Within the local church, the highest human authority rests in the congregation.


The Historical Background of the Evangelical
Free Church of Americ:

The Evangelical Free church of America was formed in 1950 by the merger of two church bodies: the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. Both groups were birthed in the revival movements of the late nineteenth century.

The Swedish group had its formal beginnings in Boone, Iowa, at the conference held in October of 1884. In that same year, two Norwegian-Danish groups began to worship and fellowship together in Boston, Massachusetts, and Tacoma, Washington. By 1912 both the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association had been formed.

These two associations, representing 275 local congregations, were formally joined together as they gathered for a merger conference in June of 1950 at the Medic Lake Foundation Grounds in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The international and national offices of the EFCA have been located in Minneapolis since the merger took place.

From its inception, the Evangelical Free Church of America has been committed to being involved actively in the mission of Christ's church in our local church communities, nation, and world. Our Mission focuses on our strategic involvement in responding to the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. The EFCA supports more than 500 missionaries in 40 countries with an additional 500 short-term missionaries being sent each year. The EFCA Mission's vision and purpose are fulfilled primarily through church planting and training of national workers. These activities are motivated by 1) concern for Christ's glory, 2) the constraints of Christ's compassion, 3) the clarity of Christ's command, 4) the certainty of Christ's coming, 5) the eternal future of those who do not have Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.