The EFCA Statement of Faith (2008) affirms 'the personal and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ.' His return will be visible, personal, and physical — the same Jesus who ascended will descend from heaven. His return is the event that will initiate the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of all humanity, and the consummation of God's redemptive plan.

The second coming is a non-negotiable element of EFCA doctrine. It is the completion and vindication of the gospel: Christ who died and rose for sinners will return to complete the work of redemption by transforming and gathering his people, judging the world, and establishing the eternal state. The EFCA's evangelistic emphasis is partly grounded in the conviction that the time before Christ's return is the window of opportunity for gospel proclamation.

While the EFCA affirms the certainty and importance of the second coming, it no longer requires a specific eschatological timeline (premillennial, amillennial, etc.) in its Statement of Faith. The 2008 revision deliberately opened the eschatological question to allow diversity, while maintaining the certainty of the return itself. See the millennium entry for more detail.