Evangelical Christian Church in Canada
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The Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples) as an evangelical Protestant Canadian church body in North America can be traced to the formal organization of the Christian Church in 1804, in Bourbon County, Kentucky under the leadership of Barton Warren Stone (1772–1844). The Stone Movement later merged with the efforts of Thomas Campbell (1772–1854) and his son Alexander Campbell (1788–1866) to become the Restoration Movement that gave birth to the Churches of Christ (Non-Instrumental), the Christian Churches, the Churches of Christ, and the Disciples of Christ. The Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples) as a separate group within the Restoration tradition was reorganized in 2001.
The Evangelical Christian Church's national office in Canada is in Waterloo, Ontario.
The Evangelical Christian Church, also known as "Christian Disciples" became the Stone-Campbell Movement, also called the Restoration Movement which arose on the frontiers of early 19th-century America. Like-minded Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians abandoned denominational labels in order to be "Christians only" from the Stone group,
and "Disciples" from the Campbell group. They called followers from both groups to join in Christian unity and restore the ideals of the primitive New Testament church, holding only the Bible as authoritative.
The Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples), founded in 1804, joined with other Canadian branches in 1832, and the first work of the Canadian Evangelical Christian Church was formed in 1810 in Ontario, and in the Maritime provinces of Canada. After the Second World War, a collaboration between an All-Canadian and North American (Evangelical Christian Church) Movement began as a way to coordinate and unite the various churches of the Restoration Movement in order to reform the church along non-sectarian, non-creedal lines. Several church bodies identifying with the Stone-Campbell movement were very creedal and range from ultra-conservative to ultra-liberal as can be seen in the United Church of Christ which is an attempt to unite all Christian denominations into one national body. At the beginning of the early 1940s, this movement organized a Great Western revival meeting, causing an increase in religious interest and excitement in the Canadian Evangelical Christian Church, unifying Christians based on their interpretations of New Testament principles.
During the early 20th century, many Restoration Movement churches not affiliated with the three larger Restoration bodies existed under such names as Canadian Evangelical Christian Churches, Evangelical Christian Churches, Independent Christian Churches, Christian Churches of North America, Christian Missionary Churches, Bible Evangelical Churches,
Community Churches, Evangelical Congregational Churches, Congregational Christian Churches, and Evangelical Protestant Churches trace their roots to various Lutheran and Reformed churches from Germany in 1720. The Congregation Christian Church itself was the product of a merger in 1931, between the Congregational Church and a number of Christian Churches. The Congregational Church developed in England before migrating to the United States. Some of these united in 1966 as the Evangelical Christian Churches, Farmland, Indiana. The majority of these congregations that have not been otherwise absorbed, continue as the Evangelical Christian Churches, Albany, Indiana
Sacraments
The Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples) teaches that Jesus Christ instituted two ordinances as instruments of his grace, found in:
Baptism is limited to those old enough to make a profession of faith and is commonly administered by immersion.
The Lord's Supper is performed weekly, at which time all members partake of the emblems.
The washing of feet is also practiced by members and clergy.
Doctrine
The Evangelical Christian Church (Christian Disciples) in Canada has eleven Articles of Faith that are considered to be their definitive doctrinal statement:
The Bible as the written Word of God
The virgin birth of Jesus
The deity of Jesus Christ
The Person and work of the Holy Spirit
The Trinity
Salvation through the atonement
The guidance of our life through prayer
The death and resurrection of Christ
The return of Christ
The resurrection of the redeemed and the lost
The establishment of the Millennial Kingdom
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is a national parachurch association of over 160 affiliated church denominations, ministry organizations, and
educational institutions, plus 1,000 local church congregations. All affiliated groups identify themselves as part of the evangelical movement in Canada.
The EFC was founded in 1964 as a means of promoting cooperative participation in the Canadian political and social arenas.
The organization promotes public awareness of issues that are of concern to the evangelical community, facilitates cooperation among various ministries,
and advocates on public policy issues. It has made many submissions to the government on controversial legislation regarding issues such as religious freedoms,
defining marriage, child pornography, and abortion/fetal rights. In 1982 a coalition of groups including the EFC successfully campaigned to have "the supremacy
of God" recognized in the preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The EFC publishes Faith Today magazine, the major evangelical publication in Canada, founded in 1983 under the leadership of Brian Stiller.
The EFC is a member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The WEA has been directed since 2005 by Geoff Tunnicliffe, a Canadian who also serves as the EFC's
director of global initiatives.
The EFC has occasionally collaborated with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops on certain matters of moral theology, such as abortion, gay marriage
and euthanasia.
Rev. Eric was a member as Celebrant Pastor of an Evangelic Church (2011-2015)