Anchor Point is a part of the Evangelical Free Church denomination.

What does the “free” mean in Evangelical Free Church?

The term “Free” has two meanings. First, in reference to history, it refers to the fact that in Europe, the Free Church was free from the state church control. Second, in reference to theology, it refers to our local church polity in that each local church is autonomous, i.e. free from ecclesiastical and hierarchical control.

Here is how this is explained in Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America (261):

"Though not included among our central doctrinal convictions, the Evangelical Free Church of America is congregational. That is, Evangelical Free Churches are autonomous and self-governing. [The Articles of Incorporation of the Evangelical Free Church mandate that the EFCA “shall be an association and fellowship of autonomous but interdependent congregations of like faith and congregational government” (II.A.)] We hold this as an integral part of our history and tradition, and on the basis of our understanding of biblical teaching."

Does the EFCA have a position on the age of the universe, either young-earth or old-earth?

In Article 1 of our Statement of Faith, we affirm the following: We believe in one God, Creator of all things [who has] limitless knowledge and sovereign power [and who] has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

These are the explicit essentials of creation we affirm. When addressing the age of the universe, i.e. the timing question, we have intentionally placed that in the category of silence. What this means is clarified in Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America, (34).

Genesis 1 expresses truth about God as Creator and His creation, but because of the uncertainty regarding the meaning and literary form of this text and the lack of Evangelical consensus on this issue, our Statement does not require a particular position on the mechanics of creation. However, to be within the doctrinal parameters of the EFCA, any understanding of the process of creation must affirm:

  1. God is the Creator of all things out of nothing (ex nihilo)

  2. He pronounced His creation “very good”

  3. God created with order and purpose

  4. God is the sovereign ruler over all creation which, by His personal and particular providence, He sustains

  5. God created the first human beings—the historical Adam and Eve—uniquely in His image

  6. That through their sin all humanity, along with this created order, is now fallen (as articled in Article 3)

* We deny the notion that God is simply the Creator of the universe but is no longer active in it, as is espoused by deism.

* This Statement does not speak to the precise process of creation or to the age of the universe. To be acceptable within the EFCA any views on these specifics must completely affirm this Statement of Faith and align within these essential parameters.

How does the EFCA view marriage?

This Statement is drawn from Scripture as our ultimate authority. It sets forth a Christian vision of human sexuality as a good gift of God. The divine design for sexual expression within the commitment of marriage between a man and a woman is fundamental to the well-ordering of human society and is integral to human flourishing. We desire to articulate this ethic as moral truth binding on us all while recognizing our need of God's grace and forgiveness in the ways that we all fall short of this divine ideal.

God created human beings as male and female (Gen. 1:27). The complementary, relational nature of the human race as “male and female” reflects the created order given by God when He created human beings “in His image” (Gen. 1:26-27; 5:1, 3; 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; Jms. 3:9; cf. Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:23-24; Col. 3:10).

Scripture grants two life-enhancing options for sexual behavior: monogamous marital relations between one man and one woman (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Matt. 19:4-6; Mk. 10:5-8; cf. Heb. 13:4) or sexual celibacy (1 Cor. 7:7; Matt. 19:12).

In Scripture monogamous heterosexual marriage bears a significance which goes beyond the regulation of sexual behavior, the bearing and raising of children, the formation of families, and the recognition of certain economic and legal rights. Marriage between a woman and a man is emphatically declared in Scripture to create a “one flesh” union (Gen. 2:23-24; Matt. 19:5), which in turn signifies the mystery of the union between Christ and His body, the Church (Eph. 5:22- 33). This means that the foundational understanding of marriage is as a covenant grounded in promises between a man and a woman which finds its divinely intended expression in the “one flesh” union of husband and wife, and between the “one flesh” union of husband and wife and God (cf. Prov. 2:16-17; Mal. 2:14; Eph. 5:31-32).

We regard marriage as a good creation of God, and marriage within the Church as a rite and institution tied directly to our foundational belief of God as creator. We also regard marriage as a sacred institution which mirrors the mysterious and wonderful bond between Christ and His Church. Marriage is much more than merely a contract between two persons (a secular notion). It is a covenant grounded in promises between a man and a woman which finds its divinely intended expression in the “one flesh” union of husband and wife, and between the “one flesh” union of husband and wife and God (the divine design). We therefore only authorize and recognize heterosexual marriages.

This is an excerpt from the document A Church Statement on Human Sexuality: Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage – A Resource for EFCA Churches.

We define marriage in the following way: “Marriage is the original and foundational institution of human society, established by God as a one-flesh, covenantal union between a man and a woman that is life-long (until separated by death), exclusive (monogamous and faithful), and generative in nature5 (designed for bearing and rearing children), and it is to reflect the relationship between Christ and the Church.”

What is the EFCA position on homosexuality and same-sex marriage?

The EFCA affirms the inerrancy and authority of the Bible (cf. Article 2) which grounds and guides our understanding of and response to homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

We have a policy for those pursuing credentialing in the EFCA regarding “Homosexual Belief and Conduct” that states the EFCA will not credential one who engages in homosexual conduct or one who does not believe that homosexual behavior is sinful, even though remaining celibate.

We also have a statement on same-sex marriage that provides guidance to local churches who are writing a policy on this issue: “A Church Statement on Human Sexuality: Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage – A Resource for EFCA Churches.”

In sum, the EFCA is “welcoming but not affirming.”

What is the position of the EFCA regarding the historicity of Adam and Eve?

We affirm God created all from nothing (ex nihilo). Adam and Eve are unique and special in that they are created in the image of God (imago Dei). These are biblical/theological essentials.

Regarding the creation of Adam and Eve as recorded in Genesis, the significance of their uniqueness as historical figures, and that they are the first created beings in the image of God, it is important to note the following theological truth from Article 3, The Human Condition, as articulated in Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical EFCA of America (76-77):

There are legitimate differences of opinion about how one understands the nature of the language used in the early chapters of Genesis to describe the actions of God in the world. However, our Statement affirms that Adam and Eve were historical figures in the following sense:

  1. From these two all other human beings are descended (Acts 17:26)

  2. These two were the first creatures created in God’s image such that they were accountable to God as responsible moral agents

  3. These two rebelled against God, affecting all their progeny.

What is essential to the biblical storyline is that the problem with the world is not ontological (not a result of the material nature of creation itself nor is sin an essential part of our humanity). The problem is moral. The first human beings, in a distinct act of rebellion, chose to turn away from God, and this act not only affected all humanity (cf. Rom. 5:12-21), but creation itself (cf. Rom. 8:18-25). This leads us from considering the dignity of humanity to acknowledging our depravity.

* The historical reality of Adam and Eve has been the traditional position of the church (so Tertullian, Athanasius, Augustine, Calvin) and is supported elsewhere in Scripture. Particularly, Paul compares the “one man” Adam with both Moses and Jesus (cf. Rom. 5:12, 15-19; 1 Cor. 15:20-22). In addition, Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Adam (Luke 3:23-37; cf. also 1 Chron. 1).

* We take no position on the manner in which the human soul is passed on, either by natural heredity (“traducianism”) or by a unique work of God in each life (“creationism”).

* Consequently, no human beings existed prior to these two, and, consequently, no human beings were sinless and without the need of a Savior.

* This also gives us hope that human beings can be redeemed from sin.