International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches

International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches (IFFEC) is a worldwide federation of evangelical free churches that trace their roots to the Radical Pietist movement. The member federations predominantly originate from Europe and the Americas.

International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches
AbbreviationIFFEC
ClassificationEvangelical Christianity
Region33 countries
HeadquartersWitten, Germany
Origin1948
Members700,000
Official websiteiffec.org

History

The history of the Federation has roots in a 19th century European pietist movement.[1] IFFEC was founded in Bern, Switzerland, in 1948.[2]

Statistics

According to a census of the denomination, in 2020, it had 700,000 members in 33 countries. [3]

The two largest member federations are the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Evangelical Free Church of America in the United States. The two largest European federations are in Sweden and Germany. The two largest federations in Asia are both in India, Evangelical Free Church of India,[4] Hindustani Covenant Church.[5]

Beliefs

The theological view of IFFEC can be considered evangelical. IFFEC is nondenominational, though the following requirements are put upon prospective member churches:[6]

They are evangelical inasmuch as their faith, doctrine and conduct are guided by the message of the Bible. The personal faith in Jesus Christ, in obedience to the Word and the Will of God, is the only condition of membership in his Church.

And:

They are churches inasmuch as Jesus Christ is present through his Word and Spirit, gathering and commissioning them and they acknowledge that all believers and only believers are members of the church.

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References
  1. J. Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 1417
  2. J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Gale, USA, 2003, p. 389
  3. IFFEC, MEMBER FEDERATIONS, iffec.org, Germany, retrieved May 9, 2020
  4. Studio, Alienleaf. "Evangelical Free Church of India".
  5. "Hindustani Covenant Church".
  6. "IFFEC - International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches".
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