From Scandinavia to America, and to the Fax East"... and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. “Acts 1:8 (NIV)
FOLLOWING MARTIN LUTHER'S 1517 Protestant Reformation in Germany, many parts of Europe adopted the Protestant form of Christianity as their State Church or National Church.
In the century that followed, the Pietistic movement saw many followers who valued their personal relationship with God. As many State churches disallowed Christian gatherings outside of church premises, believers started to question the Church's governance over one's individual freedom to worship.
Believers who left the State churches began organising their own "free" churches; "free" because they were not under the authority of the State and each church had the freedom to worship according to her convictions derived from Scripture.
These European "free" churches were founded primarily in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Following the Scandinavian migration of believers in the 19th century, the Evangelical Free Church (EFC) crossed the Atlantic to the "land of opportunity" -America.
By 1884, the United States saw the birth of the Swedish Evangelical Free Church - a gathering of Swedish churches. The following year, the Norwegian and Danish churches founded the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church. The word "Evangelical" was added to their name to show their doctrinal position as Bible-believing followers, accepting the authority and accuracy of the Bible.
The merger of the Swedish and Danish-Norwegian fellowships in 1950 birthed the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) which today, stands as a leading authority in the EFC movement, coupled with a strong focus on missions.
The commissioning of missionaries to the Far East by EFCA in the late 1950s is where the story of the Evangelical Free Church of Singapore (EFCS) begins ...
Editor's Note: This prologue was condensed from The Early History of the Evangelical Free Church in Singapore, from 1958 to 1978 -A Denominational Leader's Perspective, written by Rev Lee Twee Kim in November 1978. (Lee, 1978)
THE MEANING OF EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH
EVANGELICAL
This reflects our commitment to the Gospel and to the preaching of the same for salvation. An evangelical agrees to the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ and justification by faith, and is devoted to the inspired Word of God.
FREE Each congregation of the Evangelical Free Church denomination has a right, under God, to govern its own affairs.
CHURCH We are linked as a community of believers united in Christ by His Spirit.
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