The Family Tree of the Church
©2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church
The Evangelical Covenant Church has its roots in historical
Christianity as it emerged in the Protestant Reformation, in the
biblical instruction of the Lutheran State Church of Sweden, and in the
great spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century. These three
influences have in large measure shaped its development and are to be
borne in mind in seeking to understand its distinctive spirit.
The Covenant Church adheres to the affirmation of the Protestant
Reformation regarding the Holy Scriptures, the Old and the New
Testament, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith,
doctrine, and conduct. It has traditionally valued the historic
confessions of the Christian church, particularly the Apostles' Creed,
while at the same time it has emphasized the sovereignty of the Word
over creedal interpretations. It has especially cherished the pietistic
restatement of the doctrine of justification by faith as basic to the
dual task of evangelism and Christian nurture, the New Testament
emphasis upon personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the
reality of a fellowship of believers which recognizes but transcends
theological differences, and the belief in baptism and the Lord's
Supper as divinely ordained sacraments of the church. While the
denomination has traditionally practiced the baptism of infants, in
conformity with its principle of freedom it has also recognized the
practice of believer baptism. The principle of personal freedom, so
highly esteemed by the Covenant, is to be distinguished from the
individualism that disregards the centrality of the Word of God and the
mutual responsibilities and disciplines of the spiritual community.
Historical Statement from the Preamble to Our Constitution and Bylaws
Archives of North Park University
The denominational archives are administered at North Park
University. See the "Collections" page at their website for more
information on the Covenant Archives.
(http://www.northpark.edu/library/archives/)
