About us
We Welcome You
We are a community of diverse history, ethnicity, viewpoints, gender identity and sexual orientation, status, ability, and challenges. We invite you to join us wherever you are on your spiritual journey and to participate with us in the life of the church.
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Our Mission
Winnetka Covenant seeks to build and nurture a community united by faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith in Christ drives our mission: to be a Christian community that proclaims the gospel, worships together In love, nurtures people in the faith, serves others as Christian disciples, and builds a world of justice and hope in the name of Christ.
We have five key principles that help guide us in our journey together as a community:
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We hold grace as our highest value.
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We practice honest, open, direct communication.
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We speak the truth in love and listen in love.
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We believe the best about each other, valuing others above ourselves, as Christ does.
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We allow room for mistakes, acknowledging that mistakes are part of the growth process.
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What is the Covenant Church?
The Evangelical Covenant Church was established in Chicago in 1885 by Swedish immigrants who began arriving in America in the 1860’s. They were part of a great religious awakening in the 1800’s that rejected the strict dictates of the Lutheran State Church and the Swedish government. Instead, these believers built their church around the idea of freedom. They wanted to directly communicate with a God they viewed as loving and patient, and who cared for them by seeking and finding them each personally. Church founders viewed the Bible—not the church—as the sole authority in matters of faith, doctrine and life. And God, to them, was a face of love, not angry judgement. Learn more about our history.
Why the word ‘Covenant’?
It refers to the unshakeable bond of covenant relationship that God chose to enter with his people. This same bond unites us as believers in covenant with each other.
How is Covenant worship different?
Organizers of the first Covenant Church believed everyone was free to think for themselves as they read and studied the Bible. The best way to find and speak to God, they believed, was through a community of worshippers who studied and prayed about Bible texts together, seeking the Spirit’s help to discern God’s truth supporting each person’s individual journey.
We can agree to disagree.
The church’s focus on each individual’s walk of faith—rather than a leader’s—has always meant there will be moments of disagreement or tension when members have different views. But total agreement isn’t the point of Covenant Church faith. Our focus is on a shared life in Christ, not on everyone agreeing on everything. An age-old maxim often quoted by the church sums it up:
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, freedom. In all things, love.
Church growth
Today, the Covenant Church includes more than 875 multi-ethnic congregations in the U.S. and Canada, plus global partnerships and missionaries on five continents of the world. Worshippers gather around one central Biblical truth: You matter to God.
More information and background on the Evangelical Covenant Church is available in the church office or at www.covchurch.org.