IN THE BEGINNING...

In 1995, five families who moved to Becker from other communities met together and asked God if they should plant a new Evangelical Free Church. Once convinced that God was giving them the green light, they decided to jump through the hurdles, and in September of 1996, BEFC was birthed.

They began holding weekly church services at the Becker Elementary School. For the first year this fledgling group was without a pastor but managed to find speakers for 52 Sundays. Exactly one year after holding the first public service, pastor Dave Van Wingerden, with his wife Cherie, came on board as the full-time Senior pastor.

Quickly, the church began to expand, and in March of 1998 the membership ratified their constitution and became an official member of the North Central District of the Evangelical Free Church of America. September 2006 marked the 10th anniversary of the church.

In November of 2007, BEFC purchased 21 acres of land, which includes a beautiful home that was converted to offices. A Design Build Team has been retained to help us design a building to, one day soon, be built on this property.

THE EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH

The Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) is an association of some 1,400 autonomous churches united by a mutual commitment to serve Jesus Christ with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Word of God. The growing ministry currently extends to some 45 nations around the world.

• WHAT DOES “EVANGELICAL” MEAN?
  Evangelical...refers to a commitment to the proclamation of the Gospel and to the authority of Scriptures as being inerrant in the original...and the only safe and sufficient guide to faith and practice.

• WHAT DOES “FREE” MEAN?
  Free…refers to our form of church government which assures that our local churches are free from a central controlling body. Evangelical Free Church’s depend upon the active participation of pastors and lay people in the decision and direction of the local church.

Our Foundational Beliefs:

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

The Bible

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged.  Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

The Human Condition

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God's saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus - Israel's promised Messiah - was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God as our High Priest and Advocate.

The Work of Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

The Church

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord's Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

Christian Living

We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God's Word, the Spirit's power, and fervent prayer in Christ's name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ's commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

Christ's Return

We believe in the personal, bodily and pre-millennial return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

Response and Eternal Destiny

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

OUR VISION – “Just Give Me Jesus!”

Our vision concerns measurable development and maturity in the five purposes of the church.

1. Worship: Our vision is to mature, to grow up our heart for worship. “The Lord is pleased only with those who worship him and trust his love.” - Psalm 147:11
2. Fellowship: Our vision is to Cultivate Community. “If you love only those who love you, what good is that?” - Matthew 5:46
3. Discipleship: Our vision is Christ-likeness. “Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.” - Colossians 2:7
4. Ministry: Our vision is everyone involved in at least one area of ministry. “...try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.” - Ephesians 5:17
5. Mission: Our vision is everyone showing up for Jesus in the way that we live - becoming like Jesus with skin on! “We have been sent to speak for Christ.” - 2 Corinthians 5:20

“Our challenge is to stay up with the time, to serve our congregation, yet in no way alter the truths of His Word. Styles and methods change and must be kept up to date. But truth? It is timeless. Not subject to change...We are to be willing to leave the familiar without disturbing the essentials. To minister effectively the church must wake up to what changes...and what doesn't...the church that sits around frowning at the future, doing little more than polishing yesterday’s apples, will become a church lacking in relevance and excitement. At the same time, the church that softens its stand theologically and alters Scripture to fit the future’s style, will lose its power.”
- Charles Swindoll, THE BRIDE

We do not make change for change sake, but we are willing to change our forms to communicate to those seeking to know more about Jesus and the eternal Kingdom of God.

We like to think of BEFC as Fields of Grace!