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In 1968 the major contention was the liberal ecumenical theological ethos that was developing in mainline American Protestantism. No one even dreamed then that it would develop so fast and become as apparent as it has become since the beginning of the 1980’s. The Evangelical Church in a sense is not really a new church per se. Its roots can be traced back directly to the great religious revival that influenced America at the close of the eighteenth century and beginning years of the nineteenth century. Particularly in southeastern Pennsylvania, especially in and around Lancaster County, a revival of lasting influence occurred among the German immigrants. Major denominational connections that flowed out of this movement, dominated by many lay people, were The Evangelical Association (Church), the United Brethren in Christ and the Methodist Church. In many preaching places, people often heard ministers from each of these groups on a regular basis. Occasionally they shared the same barn, home or chapel for their preaching services. This mutual interaction continued for many years. Martin Boehm helped form the Evangelical United Brethren group. His son, Jacob, donated land for a Methodist chapel which was built in 1791. Boehm’s Chapel is still in use today. Ministers from all three groups preached there. Another of Martin’s sons, Henry, who lived to be more than 100, was a Methodist minister. He was ordained by Bishop Richard Whatcoat, who had been ordained by John Wesley in England. Henry served with Bishop Asbury for five y ears (1808-1813). In his writings, Henry Boehm often notes the cordiality that existed between the three groups well past the Civil War. The United Brethren and Evangelicals maintained their strong German ethnicity into the twentieth century. The Methodists, of course, became an American church in all sections of the country. Eventually, in 1946, the Evangelicals and United Brethren came together to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church . With ethnicity no longer a major issue, it probably was inevitable that the EUB people and Methodists would come together in a formal way as they did in 1968. However, there were some pockets of EUB people who felt the price of a spreading liberal theology was too big to pay. Hence, The Evangelical Church. Meanwhile, in 1905, in central North Dakota , several Methodist Pastors , concerned about a move away from Holiness preaching denominationally, quietly formed a small group, the Holiness Methodist Church. Their early connections were small camp meetings that gradually increased between western Minnesota and Washington State. Eventually they started a school of theology in Minneapolis. In June of 1969, the Holiness Methodist Church voted to become the North Central Conference of the Evangelical Church. Several of their congregations became part of the Pacific (Oregon and Washington) and Western ( Montana and North Dakota ) conferences. In 1948 the Holiness Methodist people had begun the Bolivian Holiness Church in South America . Today this thriving group of one hundred fifty plus congregations is the major mission field of the Department of Missions. In 1975, the Wesleyan Covenant Church , also with a direct link to the Methodist Church, through a strong mission work in Chicago after 1889, became part of the Evangelical Church. A major contribution of this fine group is their Navajo mission work in central New Mexico . All the streams that united to (re)form The Evangelical Church have a direct connection to the seventeenth century Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius , and the eighteenth century British revivalist, John Wesley . The emphasis of Arminius upon free will, versus theological determinism and Wesley’s emphasis upon the experience of God’s sanctifying grace is generally known as Wesleyan-Arminianism. Commonly, along with the Salvation Army, Nazarenes, Free Methodists, Evangelical Methodists and Wesleyans, Evangelicals are recognized as Holiness people. Today the Denominational Office of The Evangelical Church is located at 9421 West River Road in the north Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park along with the missions department, Evangelical Church Missions. The Evangelical Church is a member of the Christian Holiness Association and the National Association Of Evangelicals . The Evangelical Church is a missionary oriented church averaging at least one adult missionary per local church. The three major organizations supported, beyond the Evangelical Church Missions department, are OMS International, World Gospel Mission and Wycliffe Bible Translators . In addition, Evangelicals serve through a score of reputable other interdenominational missions organizations. |
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