Evangelical Free Church of America

About EFCA

We exist to glorify God by multiplying transfor­mational churches among all people.


The doctrinal position of The Evangelical Free Church of America is summarized in our ten-article Statement of Faith.


The core beliefs of this statement are:

  • That the scriptures, both Old and New Testament, are the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings.
  • That there is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • That Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins. He arose bodily from the dead. Only those who place their trust in Jesus Christ and Him alone for their salvation are true members of the body of Christ, and thus able to be members of the local church.
  • That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.

History of EFCA

The Evangelical Free Church came to the US from Scandinavia, where “free” meant free from state control. It now means free from a central controlling governing body, which means the denomination doesn’t govern the local churches. They, instead, depend on the active participation of pastors and laypeople in their own churches.


The term “evangelical” refers to our commitment to proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and our commitment to the authority of the Bible for guiding faith and practice. Today the term “evangelical” is used as a broad category for churches with these same commitments.


In the United States, there are 1,314 EFCA churches and 176 church plants with 270 multi-ethnic churches and 102 multi-site or second language services. Close to 550 missionaries serve in more than 80 countries. The Central District was founded in 1898 and currently serves the churches of Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and SE South Dakota. Currently, there are 131 churches in the Central District with 12 others in different stages of joining.