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The terms "Evangelical" and "Free" in our society have come to mean different things to different people. Though they may seem outdated to some, or watered down to others, we invite you to read the definitions below to get a glimpse of why they are foundational to us as a denomination. Though they may be older terms, they are as relevant today as when they were chosen by our EFCA forefathers.
What does "Evangelical" mean?

The term "Evangelical" refers to our faith, our theology. We are committed to the proclamation of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and to the Scriptures as being the inspired, inerrant, authoritative and sufficient Word of God.
What does "Free" mean?

The term "Free" refers to our polity, our structure and organization. We are committed to a congregational form of government.

In sum, we are evangelical, which is an affirmation of our "like faith," our theology, our theological convictions (Statement of Faith); we are free, which is an affirmation of our polity, our structure, our organization–we are autonomous, congregationally governed, and interdependent (Articles of Incorporation).
 
Structure
Governing Body
The governing body of the EFCA is the annual national Leadership Conference made up of the voting delegates from each of the member autonomous churches and church plants plus credentialed ministers, tenured university faculty and chaplains.  The Board of Directors, national office staff, and districts all exist to serve the local church.

Board of Directors
Members of the EFCA Board of Directors are elected on a rotating annual basis by voting delegates at the annual EFCA national Leadership Conference. They serve as the governing body for the EFCA between national Leadership Conferences and on behalf of that body.
EFCA Districts

Districts
A district is the regional presence of the EFCA designed to support local congregations and to encourage close cooperation between EFCA churches and their district. Through this cooperation, churches can more naturally establish affinity networks, engage in church planting, and initiate and support ethnic ministries. Pastors also can powerfully link together for encouragement as well as personal and ministry growth.

President
The Office of the President leads the national office and exists to glorify God through providing servant leadership for the EFCA movement, preserving EFCA values, and enhancing interdependence within the movement and the broader Church.

History
The Evangelical Free Church of America was formed June 18, 1950 by the merger of two church bodies: the Evangelical Free Church of America (Swedish) and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. Both groups had been birthed in the revival movements of the late nineteenth century.

The Swedish group had its formal beginnings in Boone, Iowa, at a 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.

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

For further information, visit http://www.efca.org/about-efca/our-history

Distinctives
"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things, Jesus Christ."
  • The Evangelical Free Church of America is a believers’ church–membership consists of those who have a personal faith in Jesus Christ.
The great heritage of EFCA 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 in Him alone for salvation.  Membership requires commitment to sound doctrine as expressed in our Statement of Faith.  However, a person is not excluded from membership because he or she does not agree on every fine point of doctrine. Within the EFCA, there is allowance for legitimate differences of understanding in some areas of doctrine.
  • The Evangelical Free Church of America is evangelical–we are committed to the inerrancy and authority of the Bible and the essentials of the gospel.
The EFCA was born out of a heritage of commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. We have deep convictions based on the authority of God’s Word, but we do not draw battle lines over minor points. Nor do we make minor issues of doctrine a test of fellowship in the local church. We are evangelical. We believe in separated living and personal holiness, but we are not separatists.
  • The Evangelical Free Church of America embraces a humble orthodoxy in partnership with others of like faith.
We believe in the spiritual unity of the Church though not necessarily in structural union. We join with other Christians and other denominations of like, precious faith in common goals and ministries to accomplish the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But we believe that there is strength in diversity and that it is important to preserve our distinctives. We recognize that union in structure does not guarantee unity of spirit.  Our foremost concern is unity of spirit with our Lord, with each other and with other Christians.
  • The Evangelical Free Church of America believes in Christian freedom with responsibility and accountability.
We believe in Christian liberty, but freedom always has its limitations. Responsible Christians do not abuse freedom. The apostle Paul wrote forcefully about Christian liberty in the Book of Galatians.  He shattered the legalists with the doctrine of grace. But in First and Second Corinthians and Romans, the apostle also rebuked believers when liberty was abused. He declared boldly the principles of Christian liberty, but spoke with equal forcefulness about Christian accountability. The EFCA desires to preserve our freedom in Christ.  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, and in harmony with God’s will for life as revealed in the Scriptures.
  • The Evangelical Free Church of America believes in both the rational and relational, i.e. the head and the heart, dimensions of Christianity.
We believe the Scriptures must be applied to our individual lives with warmth of heart, warmth of message and warmth of concern. We believe it is essential to have solid, biblical content in our doctrinal understanding of faith, but it is equally important to have a dynamic, vital relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son and to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sound Christian doctrine must be coupled with dynamic Christian experience. Ours is a ministry of love and spiritual reconciliation.
  • The Evangelical Free Church of America affirms the right of each local church to govern its own affairs with a spirit of interdependency with other churches.
The EFCA is committed to a congregational form of government as stated in our Articles of Incorporation: "The Evangelical Free Church of America shall be an association and fellowship of autonomous but interdependent congregations of like faith and congregational government…"  Strong pastoral leadership coupled with discerning and well-equipped Christian lay people can produce spiritual growth as well as significant church growth. While the EFCA affirms the right of each local church to govern its own affairs, we also believe in the biblical values of interdependence and cooperation.

We are a movement of churches committed to working with one another in order to fulfill the Great Commission in the United States and abroad.  This is only possible when there are strong ties with other EFCA churches, with local district organizations and with the national EFCA ministries.