Across a week spanning the United States, Finland and the United Kingdom, the free evangelical world reported stories of growth, leadership and renewal. The Evangelical Covenant Church joined the National Association of Evangelicals, a new Alliance church plant took root in Oregon, and a Finnish congregation returned to the town square where it began. Two essays on preaching and worship completed the week.
Covenant Church Joins the National Association of Evangelicals
The Evangelical Covenant Church (United States) is one of three denominations welcomed into the National Association of Evangelicals in August, alongside the Association of Independent Methodists and the Church of God of Prophecy. The move places the Covenant, with its Scandinavian free-church roots, inside a body that represents more than forty denominations and millions of American evangelicals. ECC president Tammy Swanson-Draheim framed it as part of “finding ways to partner with other denominations and organizations that are seeking to follow Jesus faithfully.”
A New Alliance Church Plant Takes Root in Bend, Oregon
Church planters Crystal and Jesse Garnett are establishing Catalyst Life Alliance in the fast-growing central Oregon city of Bend, after what they describe as a “winding road” of more than two decades. The young congregation has already celebrated three baptisms and a first child dedication. The Garnetts say the soil is hard and rocky, yet they report healings, freedom from addiction, and multi-denominational worship nights drawing believers from across the city.
Finnish Congregation Returns to the Town Square
The Kankaanpää Free Church (Finland) opened its new meeting space on the town square in early September, with about 160 people attending the celebration. The congregation began in 1960 as a prayer circle and once met on the same square before moving to a prayer house it eventually outgrew. Elder-board chair Oskari Niemi said the words spoken for years — that the church would return to the square — have now been fulfilled.
Covenant Names Gilliard to Lead Discipleship and Justice
Rev. Dominique Gilliard has been named senior director of discipleship, evangelism and justice for the Evangelical Covenant Church (United States), overseeing both the Love Mercy Do Justice and Make and Deepen Disciples teams. Gilliard, a widely read author on justice and the church, described his calling as closing the “unbiblical chasm” between evangelism and biblical justice.
Special-Needs Ministry Grows From One Family’s Crisis
A Covenant congregation in Algonquin, Illinois has grown a special-needs ministry out of a single family’s crisis three years ago. Lead pastor Javier Barron and his wife Rosa built a rhythm for a boy with sensory overload, trained volunteers, and the ministry now serves several families. The story points to a wider challenge — families of children with disabilities often find churches do not know how to include them.
Covenant Appoints Steve Wong to Adult Discipleship
Rev. Dr. Steve Wong joins the Evangelical Covenant Church’s denominational team on 1 October as coordinator of adult discipleship, bringing twenty-five years of adult ministry. Wong is the founding pastor of Grace Community Covenant Church, the Covenant’s first Asian American church plant. His appointment also secures the continuation of Crescendo, the denomination’s discipleship ministry for people sixty and older.
Finland’s Free Church Orchestras Meet Across Generations
The Free Church of Finland’s two national ensembles — the Wind Orchestra and the Sinfonietta — held their annual SopuSointu music camp at Kiponniemi over the final weekend of August. Musicians “from baby to grandpa” took part, and a new generation of young adults has stepped into the orchestra’s leadership. The report describes that quiet renewal as itself a kind of revival.
Finland’s Evangelists to Gather at Teopolis
Finland’s Free Church will bring its evangelists together for a national gathering on 19 October at the Teopolis campus in Tampere, with registration open until 30 September. The event is open to every evangelist recognised by a local Free Church. The programme includes a Bible study, field reports, and time set aside to seek the Lord together.
Voices: A Gentle Case for the Quiet Sermon
Writing in Premier Christianity (United Kingdom), Dr Claire Williams argues that a sermon is an agreement between preacher, hearers and God, and must be appropriate to those who listen. She points to Jesus as “the preacher par excellence,” whose Sermon on the Mount left the crowd astonished rather than fearful.
Voices: What Belongs in the House of God?
Tony Wilson, writing in Premier Christianity, reflects on St Paul’s Cathedral’s renewed partnership with London nightclub Fabric to ask what belongs in the house of God. His conclusion is a careful middle course — partner generously with secular artists, but only with boundaries and a clear sense of purpose.
Covenant’s Midsouth Conference Seeks a Superintendent
The Midsouth Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church has opened a search for its next superintendent, with nominations accepted through 1 October. The new superintendent will be elected at the conference’s 2027 Family Reunion, and leaders have asked the wider Covenant family to join the process in prayer.
A thread of formation runs through this week’s news — a church plant putting down roots in Oregon, a Finnish congregation returning to the square where it began, and new leaders stepping into discipleship and evangelism. Free churches grow when women and men are formed for faithful ministry, which is the work Worldwide Evangelical Seminary supports through its free church formation courses and the AFECF initiative equipping leaders across Africa.
The Connexion is provided by Worldwide Evangelical Seminary — forming free church leaders for faithful ministry worldwide.
