The ECC teaches that predestination and election are biblical doctrines but that their precise meaning and application are not binding on all believers. Following the ECC motto 'in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty,' the denomination allows significant diversity on questions of how God's foreknowledge, predestination, and human free will interact. Both Calvinist (reformed) and Arminian theological perspectives are represented within the ECC, and the denomination does not require uniformity on these secondary matters.

Some ECC members and churches affirm unconditional election (God's predestination of some to salvation), while others affirm conditional election (God's predestination based on foreknowledge of free choices). Some emphasize God's omnipotence and sovereignty in salvation; others emphasize human freedom and responsibility. The ECC holds that sincere believers can disagree on these matters and still maintain full fellowship and common cause in evangelism and mission.

What is non-negotiable in the ECC is that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ, that the gospel is to be proclaimed to all, and that human beings are responsible before God. Beyond these essentials, the ECC respects theological diversity. This permissive stance reflects both the ECC's Pietist heritage (which emphasizes practical faith over doctrinal precision on secondary matters) and its commitment to Christian unity despite theological diversity.