Frequently Asked Questions
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Q: What is the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada?
A: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada (ECCC) has its roots in historical Christianity as it emerged in the Protestant Reformation, in the biblical instruction of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, and in the great spiritual awakenings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These influences, together with more recent North American renewal movements, continue to shape its development and distinctive spirit. The ECCC is a denomination within Canada, a regional conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church across North America. The ECCC is committed to reaching across boundaries of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, age, and status in the cultivation of communities of life and service. To read more about the denomination, click here.
Q: What does the Evangelical Covenant Church believe?
A: For Covenant people, our essential beliefs are summed up in what we call Covenant Affirmations:
- We affirm the centrality of the word of God.
- We affirm the necessity of the new birth.
- We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the church.
- We affirm the church as a fellowship of believers.
- We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
- We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
Click here to find out more about the ECCC’s beliefs. For our Christian faith to be vibrant, it has to speak to our culture. That’s true even—or especially—on complex and difficult issues of contemporary life. Read more about our Covenant Resolutions.
Q: How can I find a Covenant church located near my home or near where I’m traveling?
A: Visit our Churches page for a listing of Covenant churches in Canada. Or use the Find-A-Church feature on the ECC website where you can search across North America by entering a city or zip/postal code.
Q: How can I purchase or obtain items from the Covenant Bookstore?
A: All printed material produced by the ECC (USA) is available to order through the online Covenant Bookstore. The Covenant Bookstore accepts Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and PayPal as methods of payment.
Q: When is the Annual General Meeting? JAM? Midwinter Conference? ALIVE? CHIC? etc.?
A: Covenant events usually take place annually or triennially. You can find out more information about ECCC events here, and links to ECC (USA) events can be found at CovChurch.org/events. To connect with the Covenant Events Office (USA), click here.
Q: How can I use the Covenant logos?
A: Only authorized institutional and organized church members of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada may use trademarks of the ECCC or ECC. Such usage of ECCC/ECC trademark is allowed only for authorized church functions, mailings, promotions, or events. ECCC/ECC trademarks may not be used by individuals. You can find Covenant logo jpg, png, and Illustrator files for ECCC (Canada) here and ECC (USA) here.
Q: Where can I find sample constitutions for church governance? What three different models are recommended by the ECC for use in local churches?
A: The ECC has developed a range of models that all meet the criteria for congregational polity. In applying the key principle that congregations retain authority and delegate responsibility, the three models differ in how much is delegated and how many are involved. To download the three model constitutions (Board, Council, and Leadership Team), click here. An overview of the three models is also available.
Q: Who can I contact with questions about my subscription to various Covenant Publications like the Covenant Companion and the Home Altar?
A: The subscription coordinator can be contacted at (773) 907-3323, or by email: communication(at)covchurch.org
Q: When does the new Missionary Prayer Calendar come out and will a quantity be sent to my church automatically?
A: The Missionary Prayer Calendar is produced annually and is made available each year at the ECC Annual Meeting in June. Copies may be ordered online through the Covenant Bookstore.
Q: How may I obtain ECCC forms for Conference Remittances, AGM Delegates, etc.?
A: These forms are available on our Church Administration page. Be sure to check out the other helpful tools available on our general Resources page.
Q: Why am I having trouble with viewing certain pages on the ECC website?
A: If you are using Internet Explorer, some images, downloads or pages may not appear as they were meant to. CovChurch.org is built to display best on modern browsers such as Mozilla Firefox 3.5+, Google Chrome 3.0+, Safari 4.0+, and Internet Explorer 7.0+. We suggest, for security reasons, that you use the most recent version of the browser of your choice.
Q: Who should I contact if I have a question regarding an order I placed at the Covenant Bookstore?
A: If you have an order number/confirmation from the Covenant Bookstore, or need to speak with someone there, please contact the manager of the Covenant Bookstore at (800) 621-1290 or by email at: info(at)covenantbookstore.com
Q: Who should I contact if I am experiencing a technical issue with the ECCC website?
A: If you are having a problem with the website, please complete the contact us form and note what you’ve encountered in the message box on that form. Thank you!