Midland Evangelical Church

Evangelical Free

Midland Evangelical Free Church is composed of people who believe that a relationship with God comes through a personal trust in Jesus Christ. We are united by a common desire to glorify and serve God in our individual lives, families, church, community, and world.

The term Evangelical refers to our commitment to proclaim the Gospel and to maintain the Word of God as our authority. The word evangelical comes from the New Testament Greek word "euangelion," which means good news or gospel. The Bible summarizes the meaning of this good news:

"By this gospel (euangelion) you are saved...For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..." 1 Corinthians 15:24.

The term Free refers to our form of church government, which guarantees that we are free from a central controlling body. Being part of an association of Evangelical Free Churches, we enjoy many unique privileges, but we also enjoy autonomy, which enables us to govern our own affairs.

We base our form of church government on Biblical evidence. There is no reference in the New Testament of a higher authority over a local church except Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22). Leadership such as elders and deacons are to be appointed by the congregation for oversight and order within the church, but these leaders have no authority outside of the local congregation they serve (Acts 6:3-5).