The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) announced on 9 June 2026 the passing of Rev. Dr. Paul E. Larsen, the seventh president of the denomination, who died peacefully in California at the age of 92.
Larsen served as ECC president during a significant period in the denomination's development, shaping its identity as a missional movement committed to evangelism, racial reconciliation, and global partnership. His presidency helped lay groundwork for the ECC's later growth into one of North America's most active free evangelical bodies.
The Evangelical Covenant Church, founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants and now encompassing hundreds of congregations across North America with global mission engagement on five continents, counts its presidents among its most formative voices. Larsen's tenure left a lasting mark on the denomination's self-understanding as a movement that holds the gospel as non-negotiable while practising charity on secondary matters — a disposition deeply in the free-church tradition.
A memorial service was expected to be held in California. The ECC asked its congregations to pray for his family and to give thanks for his long service.
Source: Evangelical Covenant Church
