Voices of the EFCA: Our Work Matters

I’ve said this many times now and it bears repeating: when the EFCA Board of Directors asked me to consider the role of acting president of the EFCA, my first reaction was reverent fear. Fear because of the significance of the role. Fear because of my great need for Almighty God’s help. Fear because of my deep respect for this movement of churches and the people who call the EFCA “home.” With that fear came gladness. It is truly a joy for me to serve the EFCA in this capacity, and I resolve to maintain a healthy fear as we navigate these days of ministry together.

For the believer, Scripture indicates that fear is an intimate part of our faith formation and sanctification, for we are to “fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl 12:13) and “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). I am grateful this fear is not rooted in selfishness, self-preservation or terror, but rather in an immense reverence and awe for God, His omnipotence and sovereign authority.

As messengers of Christ’s gospel and shepherds of God’s people, let’s aim to consistently acknowledge the significance and eternal consequence of the ministry entrusted to us with a healthy dose of reverent fear. Pastors and leaders in the EFCA know this to be true, for every interaction is a means by which we point to our Savior and the hope of His gospel. Yet, we ought to pause and remember the significance of our work because it matters for God’s eternal kingdom.

So, in a season where the pace of life and ministry increase, embrace the conversation with the single mother, the loving confrontation with a church member, the home visit with the seasoned follower of Jesus who can’t leave the care facility, the encouraging word to the student who is struggling to find their place in school, the pastoral counsel offered to the couple whose marriage is falling apart, and the conversation with your family members about the ins and outs of life. These are moments God has entrusted to you to steward for His kingdom. As small as some interactions may seem, through them God is transforming hearts and minds by the power of His Spirit.  

We won't tread water

It has now been six months since I transitioned to the role of EFCA’s acting president. I want to thank so many of you for the warm welcome you’ve given me. The emails, calls, texts and conversations are a bolster to my soul, and I am grateful for your ongoing prayers. I need you, your prayers and your support as we move forward with our mission—together.

As acting president, the board has entrusted to me all the functions and authority granted to our movement’s former president, Kevin Kompelien. The next three years (until the presidential term ends in 2027) will go by quickly, and I don’t intend for the EFCA to tread water. Our shared work and mission are too important.

In these initial months, I conducted a search to find the next vice president of national ministries. As a result, we invited Scott Sterner to fill this important role. Scott has a long history with the EFCA, serving at every level of ministry, including church planting and leadership in the Forest Lakes District. In addition, I traveled to district conferences and local churches to encourage greater collaboration as we pursue our mission to glorify God by multiplying transformational churches among all people. In each of these visits I have seen churches and ministry leaders portraying “one EFCA.” 

We’ve also continued investing in our partnership with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School as we equip EFCA churches and church leaders to extend gospel ministries, multiply disciples and disciplemakers, and strengthen, revitalize and plant churches. I am working closely with Trinity’s president—Kevin Kompelien—along with the Board of Regents to build greater alignment toward our common gospel-centered vision in the areas of training and resources for EFCA pastors and leaders.

Each of these initial ministry fruits emphasizes how the EFCA national office serves churches and church leaders. Again, these are significant moments in the life and ministry of the EFCA, and I believe we are fearfully, with great dependence on God, stewarding the opportunities we have been given.

In many ways, I’m grateful to the former and present leaders who laid the groundwork for the EFCA to flourish by establishing our mission statement and the values that define who we are as a movement. Those will not change, and I’m excited to continue working with key EFCA leaders to build on our solid foundation, while emphasizing relationship, alignment and execution.

Let's go for it—together

In September, a few core leadership groups, including the EFCA Board of Directors, district superintendents and international ministries lead teams, met in Minneapolis to conduct regular business and invest in our ministry partnerships. One common theme from our time together was a deep desire to live out our calling and mission—essentially, to make the most of every opportunity to advance the gospel.

This isn’t to say we’ve departed from our mission or sat idle with the Great Commission. These leaders sense the gravity—in this moment of the EFCA’s history—to see God move in our churches, communities and country.

You hear the news. You speak with members of your congregation. You’ve had conversations with strangers in the grocery store and neighbors across the street. Our world is hurting, confused, weary, and longing for hope, joy and peace that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Friends, we are a Great Commission people! I know you want to see more people come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I know you want to see more transformational churches extending the hope of the gospel across our country. I know you want to see more missionaries in locations where the gospel isn’t known.

Join me in prayer that God would do a work in and through EFCA churches as we pursue our mission with reverence for the calling we’ve received. Join me in prayer that we would multiply transformational churches among all people by planting new churches. Join me in prayer that God would raise up the next generation of missionaries through ReachGlobal.

And, if God is calling you or your church to act on a prompt to plant a church or send missionaries, let’s partner together to accomplish this important work. Lean into your partnership with your district as well as the national and international ministries of the EFCA. And, if you want to support this work financially, I encourage you to contribute to the EFCA Fund (individuals) or Partnership Fund (churches).

As we move forward together, I’m grateful that I can already call you “partners” in the gospel. May the Lord continue to work in and through us in the days ahead as we fearfully and joyfully fulfill our mission. 

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 1:3-6) 

With joyful hope, 

Carlton P. Harris, Acting President