Evangelical Free Church

Disclaimer:I’ve been studying up on the Evangelical Free Church for a couple of days now purely out of curiosity. Since it’s not a driving force of conviction for me, but purely an idle curiosity of late, I haven’t been too picky in my sources and research. I’ll admit that some of what I say in the following paragraphs comes from dubious sources, i.e. Wikipedia. Some of the info is good, though. But please read with a grain of salt. If by chance you happen to know the history better and you are relying on better sources than the internet, feel free to comment on the post with your thoughts and possible corrections.

The Evangelical Free Church began with a group of independent congregations and several churches of the old Swedish Ansgarii Synod and Mission Synod. These groups met together at Boone, Iowa, in 1884 to form a fellowship of “free” congregations. These differing groups became known as the Swedish Evangelical Free Mission which would later be changed to Swedish Evangelical Free Church, and still later they would drop the “Swedish.”  This group merged again in 1950 with the Evangelical Free Church Association which was formerly known as the Norwegian and Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. What we find is diverse ethnicities from various countries moving to America in the late nineteenth and early twenthieth century and clustering into churches that have their same ethnic and cultural familiarities. Over time as the immigrants’ second generation blended and merged into the fabric of American culture, the ethnic peculiarities became less important and were dropped. As the distinctive peculiarities of the different ethnic cultures faded, so did the need for independence from other theologically like-minded congregations. Hence these congregations “merged.” But what did they rally around? What common factor united them?

By agreement in the original organization of the fellowship in 1884, this was to be a body of self-governing congregations, each free to establish its own doctrine. Did you hear that last part? Each “free” to establish its own doctrine. Wow! The several free churches elected delegates to an annual conference that was purely advisory in character. However, a society of ministers and missionaries was organized in 1894 to guide the denomination in doctrine and practice. This is still the guiding principle of the church; the only qualification for membership lies in evidence of conversion and the living of a Christian life. Polity is obviously congregational, but the churches are usually guided by a board of multiple elders which may be more or less biblically qualified.

Do you suppose that the “free” churches could really stay free in terms of doctrine and practice and maintain unity and fellowship around nothing more than their insistence upon “Freedom” to do whatever each congregation thought best for itself? Short answer: no. As already mentioned, a board of ministers and missionaries was organized in 1894 to guide the group in doctrine and practice, and an official twelve-point doctrinal statement was drafted and adopted by the Evangelical Free Church in 1950 when the Norwegians and Danish decided to join.  I should also mention that this group of “free” churches has founded one of the finest seminaries in the world: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, home of the legendary evangelical scholar D.A. Carson. 

Critical Analysis: while I like a certain degree of freedom, independence and autonomy, it is clear that the Evangelical Free Church has fallen a little too far on the independence/autonomy side of the equation. While I like that this group has founded one of the finest seminaries in the world, there can be no certianty of consistent doctrine and practice between the different churches. Paul makes a compelling case for autonomy in Galatians 1:11-12 asserting the independence of the Gospel from any man, but immediately joins this with the injunction of accountability in Galatians 2:2 by voluntarily seeking approval and affirmation from his fellow apostles. Paul himself serves as an instrument of accountability for Peter in Galatians 2:11-14. Autonomy must be carefully balanced with accountability, and I think that the same dangers that face the Baptist Congregations are plaguing the Evangelical Free Congregations. Every church must wrestle to strike the right balance between independence and accountability.