Church Authority

The EFCA is congregational in polity: each local church is autonomous and self-governing under the lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture. The denomination — the EFCA as a national body — is a voluntary fellowship of autonomous churches that cooperates for mutual support, church planting, and global mission, but does not exercise binding authority over local congregations. Local churches enter and exit EFCA affiliation voluntarily.

Scripture is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. The EFCA Statement of Faith provides a doctrinal framework that member churches agree to affirm, but its authority is based on its faithfulness to Scripture, not on the denomination's institutional power. The EFCA is clear that it is not a creed-based denomination that imposes tradition — it is a fellowship of churches united by a shared reading of Scripture's essential teachings.

Local church governance typically involves elder-led or pastoral leadership structures, with congregational participation in major decisions. The EFCA national body provides resources, accountability networks, and cooperative mission structures, but local church decisions — including pastoral hiring, doctrinal emphasis within the EFCA's parameters, and ministry programming — rest with local leadership and congregations.