“A CORD of THREE STRANDS is not EASILY BROKEN.” Stronger · Bejarano. Pastor Fredy Merida and his wife, Norma, from Vida Abundante Evangelical Covenant Church in Burbank, California,

StrongerTogether

“A CORD of

THREE STRANDS is

not EASILY BROKEN.”

Ecclesiastes 4:12

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S t o r i e S b y C at K n a r r

n the Evangelical Covenant Church we believe in the power of partner-ship. Our name

underscores it. The Covenant is indeed a covenant—a partnership, a robust fellowship—drawn together to spur one another to go deeper in Christ and further in mission.

The book of Ecclesiastes says a cord of three strands is not easily broken. The Evangelical Covenant Church is a cord of three strands: more than 850 local congregations, each of our eleven regional confer-ences, and the denomination as a whole. Congregation. Conference. Covenant. These are the three strands that, woven together in part-nership, give all parts strength to be faithful and fruitful, living with God and for God.

We are a growing, multieth-nic, multigenerational mosaic of churches impacting more lives in more ways in more places than at

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Stronger Together

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GA RY WA LTER

President

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 3

Watch the 2016 Mission & Ministry video at CovChurch.org/ministry-update-2017.

any point since our founding in 1885. But we never have and never will believe that the work of your congregation, any conference, or the denomination is easy. Indeed, we all know the incline for ministry is only getting steeper. We need each other more than ever just as the world needs Christ as much as ever. It requires the very best effort and very deepest commitment from every strand. On our own, we are less than we can be. But when we are woven together, a hopeful and fruitful future awaits.

That is what a new emphasis we call 3StrandStrong is all about. It’s about underscoring the importance of partnership between congrega-tion, conference, and Covenant.

We frame our collective ministry this way: We join God in God’s mis-sion to see more disciples, among more populations, in a more caring and just world.

We then organize around five mission priorities to accomplish the mission. We start and strengthen churches; make and deepen dis-ciples; develop leaders; love mercy and do justice; and serve globally (pursuing those same priorities in an international context).

Supporting this mission we have

teams in Finance, Operations, and Communications. Additionally, we have an array of Covenant-related institutions and corporations that undertake specialized areas, often in highly regulated environments.

In these pages you will read about the fruit of this partnership through those mission priorities, support areas, and affiliated minis-tries during this past year.

Imagine: your congregation is thriving, carrying out meaningful and life-changing ministry, and as part of your regional conference and the wider denomination, your ministry reverberates throughout the region, across the United States and Canada, and around the world. This all happens because three strong strands are closely woven together to make a single cord.

As always, thank you for your partnership. Together may we go ever deeper in Christ and further in mission.

saac Scott was teach-ing a young adult from his church to drive. When he told her to drive onto the

freeway for the first time, he says, “I closed my eyes, and I told her to keep driving.”

He adds, “She admired my cour-age.”

That eighteen-year-old student went on to get her license, thanks to a driver’s education program at Vida Nueva Covenant Church in Perris, California. Scott had noticed that several young adults in his church didn’t know how to drive. Some local high schools didn’t offer driver’s education classes, and many students’ parents worked long hours at multiple jobs and did not have time to teach them. But now seven students are learning how to drive through Scott’s program.

Scott planted Vida Nueva Cov-enant Church in early 2017, mak-ing him one of five Latino church planters who have started Covenant

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Momentum for Church PlantingWe believe the local church is God’s basic strategy to carry out mission in the world. Start and Strengthen Churches partners with regional conferences to provide financial resources, assessment, training, and coaching to establish healthy, missional Covenant churches of all ages and settings.

START and STRENGTHEN CHURCHES

Isaac Scott is one of five Latino church planters who have started Covenant churches in the past year.

churches in the past year. In response to a growing interest in Latino church planting, last fall Start and Strengthen Churches held its first Spanish-speaking church planting assessment center, where Latino pastors discerned whether they were called to plant a Covenant church. Then in December it held the first Latino train-ing center to equip pastors to go out and plant a church.

“Because of the growing momentum in Latino church planting, we’re hosting training and assessment centers in Spanish,” says Bea Radakovich, manager of ministry services for Start and Strengthen Churches.

The Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) has a big goal for the future of Latino church planting. By 2025, the conference hopes to have 100 Latino churches, says Abraham Bejarano, who serves as PSWC co-director of Latino church planting, along with Fil Nesta. Currently, the conference has thirty-five Latino churches. It aims to plant another sixty-five in the next eight years.

And Bejarano’s vision is even bigger than that.“I would love to see a revival of Latino church plant-

ing in Florida, in New York, in Chicago, in Texas—every-where we have large populations of Latinos,” he says.

Latino church plants have seen many new believers and recommitted believers in their churches, says Bejarano. Pastor Fredy Merida and his wife, Norma, from Vida Abundante Evangelical Covenant Church in Burbank, California, report that about 70 percent of their regular attenders are new believers. Meanwhile, Scott is preparing for baptisms this summer. This grass-roots growth is a movement of the Holy Spirit, Bejarano says, as new believers get excited about their faith and share the gospel.

“They are people who have just met the Lord,” Bejarano says. “They’re really devoted to bringing the kingdom of God to everyone’s knowledge.”

Scott decided to plant a church in his city of Perris because he believed the community needed a pastor. “I feel like they need a pastor they can talk to,” he says.

“We are deeply committed to planting Latino churches in a country where the Spanish language popu-lation is increasing steadily,” says Alex Rahill, director of church planting for Start and Strengthen Churches. “We have witnessed the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in the Latino church planting movement in the Covenant Church and we want to keep in step with the Spirit. God has brought together a great team of leaders to help accomplish this.”

“One of our Covenant distinctives is a conscious dependence on the Holy

Spirit. The same Spirit who starts churches is the same

Spirit who strengthens churches. We are in awe of how the Holy Spirit is

moving among us!”


18NEW CHURCHES WERE

STARTED IN THE PAST

12 MONTHS, INCLUDING

5 SPANISH-SPEAKING

CHURCHES.

47 CHURCH PLANTERS

PARTICIPATED IN

TRAINING INTENSIVES

LAST YEAR.

75+ VITALITY WORKSHOPS

WERE OFFERED IN

ESTABLISHED

CHURCHES.

5,941 PEOPLE ATTENDED A

COVENANT CHURCH

PLANT IN 2016.

JOHN WENRICHExecutive Minister

t first, Lai Saechao hesitated to par-ticipate in Covenant Community Bible Experience because

she didn’t think she could keep up with the daily readings.

Saechao attends the New Gen Ministries congregation of Mien Covenant Church in Sacramento, California. Under Pastor Perry Sakai’s leadership, New Gen Minis-tries participated in CBE together last fall. Over an eight-week period, about seventeen people read the entire New Testament and partici-pated in weekly discussions on what they read.

CBE isn’t a typical Bible study. The CBE Bible, published by Biblica, has no chapter or verse numbers, so the text reads like a narrative of the story of God.

When Saechao found out she could listen to an audio version, she realized that she could easily keep up with the reading on her com-mute. She grew to understand the New Testament better as a whole story, hearing many passages for the first time. And she decided to start praying every night, both with her seven-year-old son and by herself.

As Saechao was reading the New Testament, she was especially struck by passages about forgiveness, such as, “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him” (1 John 3:15).

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The Book That TransformsOur vision is to mobilize a multiethnic movement of disciples who make disciples of all ages. Make and Deepen Disciples helps Covenanters of all ages and backgrounds navigate the complete journey of faith.

MAKE and DEEPEN DISCIPLES

More than 39,000 Bibles were distributed through the Covenant Community Bible Experience.

Such passages inspired her to forgive two people she had previously thought didn’t deserve it, one of whom was her ex-husband.

“Out of that forgiveness, it freed me from the anger, the hatred, all of these heavy things that were in my heart,” she says. “It actually lifted up my spirit. I just felt so free.”

It was the first time Saechao had read the entire New Testament, and she says the experience deepened her faith in Christ. “This Community Bible Experience has really matured me in a way where I’m being a good role model for my son,” she says.

Last fall, many Covenant churches participated in CBE. Others engaged during Lent. So far, more than 39,000 Bibles have been ordered across the denomina-tion.

As individuals like Saechao have grown spiritually, New Gen Ministries has grown closer as a community as well. Every week the group sat down to have lunch together after church, and then wrestled with their questions about the readings. Having lunch first gave the group time to be together and build relationships.

“It wasn’t just a Bible study,” Sakai says. “People’s hearts were open to each other and to what the Lord was saying.”

Church member Tina Vang agrees. “This process brought our New Gen community so much closer together,” she says. “It helped us deal with wounds, and to forgive and love others as Jesus loved us.”

Vang also hesitated to commit to CBE initially, but once she began, she found herself looking forward to reading every night. The story, which she had only read in pieces before, suddenly sprang to life.

“I felt like I was walking alongside Jesus and his dis-ciples,” Vang says. “It was like a drama that came to life for me. Had it not been for Community Bible Experi-ence, I probably never would have read the New Testa-ment at all.”

Through the experience, Vang developed a better understanding of Jesus’s life and gained confidence in her ability to disciple others. This spring she started co-leading a discipleship group of seven women.

And she’s not the only one. Sakai has noticed that others are beginning to disciple their friends and fam-ily. “I’m on the verge of becoming a spiritual grandpa,” he says. “That’s a real breakthrough that I’m looking forward to.”

“Congregations, conferences, and the

Covenant united behind Community Bible

Experience to affirm that we are people of the Book, and that there is no better

discipleship foundation than the word of God.”


72 LEAD PASTORS FROM

FIVE CONFERENCES

HAVE PARTICIPATED IN

A PILOT EVANGELISM

COHORT PROGRAM.

859 WOMEN FROM MORE

THAN 240 COVENANT

CHURCHES ATTENDED

TRIENNIAL XV LAST

SUMMER.

407CHURCHES HAVE READ

THROUGH THE NEW

TESTAMENT TOGETHER

AS PART OF THE

COMMUNITY BIBLE

EXPERIENCE.

2,840 PEOPLE MADE FIRST-

TIME COMMITMENTS TO

CHRIST AT COVENANT

CAMPS IN 2016.

MICHELLE SANCHEZExecutive Minister

Putting Kids FirstWe are committed to joining God to make things right in our broken world. Love Mercy Do Justice seeks to resource and equip the local church in its call to love, serve, and work together with people at the margins toward holistic individual, family, and community transformation.

student caught in an underperform-ing system faced more than her share of challenges.

Without a network of support, she struggled academically and socially, her dreams of graduating from high school and going to college slipping away.

When her family moved into English Avenue, an under-resourced community in Atlanta, she began attending the New Life S.A.Y. Yes! Center, a nonprofit of New Life Cov-enant Church. The center, which stands for Save America’s Youth, serves students in K-12 through tutoring, discipleship, and the arts. “Our goal,” says Catherine Gilliard, co-senior pastor of New Life and executive director of the center, “is to interrupt, inspire, and ignite students to fulfill God’s purposes for their lives.”

One of seventeen ministries that received a Love Mercy Do Justice grant in 2016 to support community development efforts, the center provides a home-cooked meal to

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LOVE MERCY DO JUSTICE

LMDJ is partnering with ministries that serve young people in both urban and rural settings.

Inset: Appalachian Impact gives kids in rural West Virginia a chance to be kids.

students every evening. “The small miracles we wit-ness come through students who once were routinely suspended now spending more days in school, physical fights are replaced with self-control, and apathetic atti-tudes become passionate,” says Gilliard.

Through performing arts, the center helps students who once struggled to read to write and recite original pieces of poetry in live performances.

Last spring the S.A.Y. Yes! Center held a Resurrection Bowl in celebration of Easter, in which students com-peted to answer Bible trivia questions. In a group of kin-dergarteners through second graders, a kindergartener almost won, stunning the staff.

“Part of the reason we do these performances is to work on public speaking, and he went right on up there at five years old and did it,” says Veronica Gilliard, the center’s director of development (and Catherine’s daughter).

In rural north central West Virginia, New Community Church’s Appalachian Impact partners with the local school district to organize weekly one-on-one mentoring and summer camps. Mentors are asked to make at least a four-year commitment. “In order to make a lasting difference in a child’s life, you have to have a long-term relationship,” says director Sarah Campbell.

That change takes time. But Campbell says Appala-chian Impact celebrates the little wins each step of the way. “You don’t see growth overnight,” she says. “It’s the little things kids do or say that show that you’re actually making a difference.”

At summer camp last year Campbell noticed a boy apologize without being prompted. After a Bible lesson about respect, another young boy repeated the lesson to his older brother when he saw him being rude to another child. “It was this moment of, ‘Oh my goodness, he learned something,’” Campbell says.

Justin Bowers, pastor of New Community, says that sharing the gospel is an important part of Appalachian Impact—and New Community has adopted the organiza-tion as their first priority from the beginning.

“These are the ministries, in both rural and urban set-tings, that LMDJ is so blessed to partner with: churches deeply investigating the possibilities for community transformation—one child, one individual, one family at a time. And in the midst of this work, they’re telling people about Jesus and bringing hope,” LMDJ executive minister Cecilia Williams says.

“This year, we launched new work in affordable

housing, domestic disaster response, neighborhood

enterprise, and other community ministries.

Together we join God to make things right in our

broken world.”


10 HOMES PROVIDING

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

TO FAMILIES IN DOLTON,

ILLINOIS, HAVE BEEN

REHABBED IN A PILOT

VENTURE THAT CAN BE

REPLICATED ELSEWHERE.

3+8 FOLLOWING THE

SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH

LAST YEAR OF THREE

IMMIGRATION SERVICE

CENTERS, EIGHT MORE

ARE IN THE PIPLELINE.

$28,000IN DISASTER RELIEF

WAS RAISED LAST YEAR

FOR THE WATER CRISIS

IN FLINT, MICHIGAN, AND

FOR FLOODING IN NEW

ORLEANS, LOUSIANA.

1,000 COVENANTERS

PARTICIPATED IN

RACIAL RIGHTEOUSNESS

EXPERIENCES IN THE

PAST YEAR.

CECILIA WILLIAMSExecutive Minister

Preparing Pastors for a Healthy FutureWe are committed to developing and strengthening healthy leaders, both clergy and lay, through multiple avenues. Develop Leaders serves our Covenant pastors through advocacy, endorsement, care, and formation. We also work to lift up lay leaders in our local churches to join with local pastors in furthering God’s mission.

fter participating in the Living Forward cohort this past year, Jan Bros is rethink-ing the next stage of

her life. She currently pastors Abbey Way Covenant Church in Minneapo-lis, and she’s not planning to retire anytime soon. Yet Living Forward has helped her envision her future, prepare for her eventual transition out of pastoral ministry, and be kind to herself in the process.

“Instead of gasping for air, I feel like I’m getting my breath—like my lungs are being filled with more pos-sibilities,” Bros says.

The cohort is a Sustaining Pasto-ral Excellence initiative that helps pastors over the age of fifty-five dis-cern their next steps and transition well into new stages of ministry and call. Bros is one of fourteen minis-ters who participated this past year.

Living Forward is just one of the many ways that the Develop Leaders mission priority supports Covenant pastors, missionaries, and chaplains in their journeys, from the begin-ning to the end of their vocational call.

With the baby boomer genera-tion entering retirement, approxi-

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A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 6 / 1 7

DEVELOPLEADERS

mately 50 percent of Covenant credentialed clergy are age fifty-five and above, making the Living Forward cohort critically relevant. Each cohort meets for three retreats focused on the themes of identity, reality, and possibility, respectively. Each participant pays a nominal registration fee, and the bulk of the costs are covered by SPE.

Bros says that participating in the cohort years in advance of her retirement has been incredibly helpful. Now she can begin to consider her next steps—which won’t necessarily conform to a stereotypical vision of retirement. Maybe, she said, she’ll take a gap year and become a short-term missionary.

“I want to think creatively,” Bros says. “There might be something ahead of me that’s not even on my radar yet.”

The cohort has provided Bros with a safe space to dream and engage in conversation with other pastors who are in the same stage of life. “We experienced a real sense of sweetness and connection, like we were listening very well for each other,” she says.

Ken Johnson, pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Villa Park, Illinois, had a similar experience. As an intro-vert he found the cohort to be a place where he could open up and hear others’ powerful, personal experi-ences.

“You feel like you’re on sacred ground when someone shares their story,” Johnson says.

Through the cohort and other retreats he has par-ticipated in, Johnson has realized that he is still thriving in his pastoral ministry. Ministry is a second career for him, which he found in his thirties, but as he got older he found it increasingly difficult to find a call—until his current position.

“I’m not just fading away here,” Johnson says. “I’m actually at my peak, and I have the most to offer right now. The cohort really helped me see that.”

Participating pastors have the opportunity to meet with a spiritual director, complete spiritual exercises, and receive guidance about managing their personal health and financial planning.

Bros left the retreats inspired to talk to her family more about what the future may look like—in a healthy, non-anxious way. She and her husband have embraced an increased openness to talking about their transitions.

“There are feelings of loss, excitement, and anticipa-tion,” Bros says. “I need to give myself space to let those feelings be what they are.”

“We are grateful for partnerships with

conferences and churches that enable us to provide

unprecedented educational opportunities, quality care,

and responsiveness to the needs of our clergy

in the U.S., Canada, and around the world.”

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N 1 1

680 PASTORS NEW TO

THE COVENANT

PARTICIPATED IN

THE COVENANT

ORIENTATION PROGRAM

THIS YEAR.

14 PASTORS FROM

NINE CONFERENCES

PARTICIPATED IN

THIS YEAR’S LIVING

FORWARD COHORT.

99 NEW MINISTRY

LICENSES WERE ISSUED

LAST YEAR, BRINGING

THE TOTAL NUMBER

OF CREDENTIALED

INDIVIDUALS TO 2,508.

$46,570WAS DISTRIBUTED IN 2016

THROUGH THE MINISTERS’

CRISIS FUND, PROVIDING

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

TO MINISTERS AND THEIR

FAMILIES.

MARK NOVAKExecutive Minister

Going to the Hard PlacesWe are committed to a global gospel—extending the whole gospel to the whole world. Through global partnerships and our own missionary team, we pursue all of the ECC priorities internationally—make and deepen disciples, start and strengthen churches, develop leaders, and love mercy and do justice—and join the rest of the global church in engaging in God’s mission.

he Covenant never shies away from challenging global ministry settings when we believe

God is calling us to serve,” says Serve Globally’s executive minister Al Tizon. He points to two key areas from the past year—DR Congo and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

In Congo Mama Beatrice learned how to farm spinach and other greens through a women’s agricul-tural group supported by Covenant Kids Congo. Now her garden pro-duces enough food to feed her eight children, while also earning their family an income.

“I’m grateful for what I’ve learned,” Mama Beatrice says. “I’ll continue to work hard to put it into practice, to have the perseverance to push forward and provide for my family.”

Mama Beatrice lost three chil-dren to malnutrition before she joined the women’s agricultural group. Malnutrition is common in

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SERVE GLOBALLY

A women’s agriculture group supported by Covenant Kids Congo is helping Mama Beatrice grow food to feed her children.

Inset: Jeff Anderson, along with his wife, Darlene, will serve as coordinators of the new MENA region.

this remote area of DR Congo, often a contributing fac-tor to high childhood mortality rates.

But since she has learned how to grow nutritious foods, Mama Beatrice has seen a marked difference in her children’s health.

“This past year, we’ve been growing vegetables to feed them,” she says. “They are eating well, their health has improved, and I’m very grateful.”

Four of Mama Beatrice’s children are sponsored through Covenant Kids Congo, a partnership between the Covenant and World Vision. When one of her sons received a letter from his sponsor, he was very happy, and eagerly waited to hear again from his friend in the United States.

Giving thanks for the women’s agricultural group and for Mama Paola, the director who leads agricultural trainings, Mama Beatrice says, “I ask God to continue to bless Mama Paola, World Vision, and the Covenant. I ask you to continue to support this project, for what we are learning is changing our lives. Let’s not give up. Let’s grab our shovel and machete. Let’s keep working hard so our children don’t die of hunger.”

This past year Covenant Kids Congo surpassed its goal of 10,000 child sponsorships—one example of the part-nerships between individuals, churches, the Covenant, and global partners that empower us to pursue God and God’s mission throughout the world.

In continuing to respond to needs around the globe, Serve Globally identified a brand-new ministry region in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) last Novem-ber. MENA is focused on four key commitments: 1) the refugee crisis; 2) persecuted Christians; 3) Muslim engagement; and 4) peace and reconciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Several MENA efforts are underway as acting regional coordinator Nancy Jo Hoover leads the startup of the new region. Covenant World Relief has partners in five MENA countries, including Syria, while the Canada Conference has engaged in partnerships in the Holy Land. In the fall, conference superintendent Jeff Ander-son and his wife, Darlene, will begin serving as the new regional coordinators.

“In my wildest imagination I did not expect that God would lead me on this journey,” said Darlene, “but it is my call to action to live more fully into my faith in tangible ways.”

“God’s mission is nothing less than the

transformation of the world and everyone in it. God has called us to join in, and our

missionaries, churches, and international partners

have answered the call in faithful partnership.”


116 COVENANT

MISSIONARIES SERVE

IN 22 COUNTRIES

AROUND THE WORLD.

338 CHURCHES HAVE HOSTED

HOPE SUNDAYS FOR

COVENANT KIDS CONGO,

LEADING TO MORE

THAN 12,000 CHILD

SPONSORSHIPS.

$580,000WAS RAISED IN

2016 FOR COMMUNITY

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

IN CONGO THROUGH PAUL

CARLSON PARTNERSHIP.

4,750 REFUGEES RECEIVED

FOOD THROUGH

COVENANT WORLD

RELIEF PARTNERS

IN SYRIA.

AL TIZONExecutive Minister


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management tools. In addition, individual gifts

from Covenanters provide financial support to mission and ministry. Through the President’s Mission and Ministry Fund, our year-round individual fund-raising program, more than 5,800 individuals gave $6.48 million to help the Covenant launch new initiatives while also sustaining existing ministries.

PENSIONS AND BENEFITS

As of January 31, 2017, our ministers pension plan and Bethany Benefit Service medical programs remain sound. Our pension plan remains more than 95 percent funded (~$223 million in assets vs. projected ~$230 million in actuarial liability) and we remain diligent in evaluating the future form of the plan as we seek to best serve increas-ingly diverse ministerial pathways. As an example of this work, we initiated the optional GuideStone Financial 403b(9) retirement sav-ings program in 2014, which has now grown to more than $7 million in assets denomination-wide.

In Bethany Benefits, our reserves remain sound and we held 2017 medical rate increases to 3.5 percent in a broader healthcare environment characterized by ~10 percent. We have also maintained our commitment to exceptional cov-erage and believe that our optional medical programs offer platinum level benefits at a compelling value.

FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP

The Covenant Church received a $1,000,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment to address the financial and economic struggles that can affect pastors’ ability to lead con-

he Finance team is responsible for delivering effective financial strategies and resources or

activity operations for all mission areas served under the Covenant Mission and Ministry budget.

We also give leadership to a comprehensive set of benefits delivered under the Covenant Pension Plan and Bethany Benefit Service medical and broader insur-ance programs. The team actively participates as part of a nationwide Church Benefits Association— allowing the Covenant to benefit from the best practices and scale of larger denominations.

Increasingly, the Finance team is focused on enterprise-wide risk management strategies, while also imagining new ways to deliver greater stewardship of resources across the wide spectrum of ECC affiliates. Our common focus is to serve local and denominational ministries with the highest level of benefits and service. We are blessed to be able to use our gifts to further God’s work in the world.

We are a grateful denomination! The 2016 fiscal year (ended January

31, 2017) represented the third con-secutive year of cash balanced base mission activity, generating a mod-est cash surplus of approximately $11,500. Solid expense stewardship coupled with the faithful generosity of the ECC continued to sustain our mission priorities. Some highlights of our base mission results:

ADVANCEMENT

Each congregation is invited to devote a combined tithe of its gen-eral fund income to its partnership with the Covenant (6.5 percent) and its regional conference (3.5 percent), as outlined in the new Covenant initiative 3StrandStrong. Local church giving remains foun-dational at more than 53 percent of our base mission income.

While we are constantly work-ing to better steward our resources, increased local church support is essential. In partnership with our regional conferences, we are working to enhance the effective-ness of ministry at the local church level through Lilly Grant financial resourcing, comprehensive pension and benefit offerings, subsidized online giving programs, general advice on best practices, and risk

T

Finance and Pensions

PAUL HAWKINSONExecutive Director of Finance, Treasurer,Executive Director of Pensions

BASE MISSION INVESTMENT — FY 2016

Base AppropriationsBase Mission

TotalProject Ministry

Mission & Ministry Total

Start & Strengthen Churches $ 969,749 $ *1,384,989 $ 2,354,738 $ 48,943 $ 2,403,681

Make & Deepen Disciples $ 1,030,817 — $ 1,030,817 $ 137,224 $ 1,168,041

Develop Leaders $ 811,290 $ **1,000,000 $ 1,811,290 $ 354,997 $ 2,166,287

Love Mercy Do Justice $ 462,928 — $ 462,928 $ 641,246 $ 1,104,178

Serve Globally $ 1,189,781 $ ***3,862,847 $ 5,052,628 $ 6,892,086 $ 11,944,714

Support: Communications $ 1,369,514 — $ 1,369,514 — $ 1,369,514

Support: Shared Services $ 3,389,787 — $ 3,389,787 — $ 3,389,787

Base Mission Investment $ 9,223,866 $ 6,247,836 $ 15,471,702 $ 8,074,496 $ 23,546,198

BASE MISSION INCOME — FY 2016

ECC Church Support $ 8,293,558

Donor Support $ 2,063,925

Fees & Expense Reimbursement $ 3,886,534

Bequest Transfers & Other Income $ 553,955

External Communications Sales $ 400,289

Rental Income $ 285,016

Base Mission Income $ 15,483,277

Operating Surplus $ 11,575

*Appropriations for Church Planting **Appropriations for NPU/NPTS ***Appropriations for Long-Term Missionaries


gregations effectively. The resultant Financial Leadership Initiative is committed to sowing seeds for min-isterial excellence by 1) providing assistance for credentialed Covenant ministers to overcome long-term financial distress; and 2) equipping and empowering Covenant clergy to continue to grow in their ability to nurture environments for generosity and mission impact.

Already 120 ministers and 57 lay-people representing 102 Covenant churches have participated in Finan-cial Leadership programming. This initiative, led by Dan Pietrzyk, is a

cooperative venture between ECC Finance, Develop Leaders, National Covenant Properties, Covenant Trust Company, and North Park Theological Seminary.

AFFILIATE STEWARDSHIP

We are blessed with an incredible array of affiliate ministries—experts in healthcare, retirement commu-nities, real-estate lending, invest-ment management, theological and broader education, and enabling residences. Our focus will continue to be on the stewardship of the whole—driving better accountability

and leveraging of resources across the entire sphere of ECC ministries. We take seriously the responsibility to steward all mission dollars.

COVENANT SCHOLARS

In partnership with North Park Theological Seminary, we launched the Covenant Scholars program, providing a model of financial stewardship for Covenant candi-dates seeking a residential master’s of divinity degree. Guidance and enrollment efforts are currently underway for ten program benefi-ciaries this year.

Base Mission Activity represents mission investment in five core mission priorities and mission support areas. Project Ministry Activity represents additional directed giving to fund separate project ministries of the ECC.

NOTE: 100% of church and donor income is invested in the five mission priorities. Support activities are 100% funded by other revenue sources.


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KEY OUTCOMES FOR 2016

— A 1.4 percent decline in local church giving partially offset by a 24.2 percent increase in direct donor support.

— Estate gifts of generous Cov-enanters provided $150,000 in enhanced support for the annual budget. We remain at a reasonable level of annual budget reliance on bequests.

— Mission expenses were held at $852,300 or 5.2 percent under budget, driven principally by lower than targeted church planting activ-ity—now accelerating into 2017 and beyond.

— Mission support investments (including administration, advance-ment, finance, human resources, communications, information services, operations) were 100 percent funded by external income sources, ensuring that 100 percent of all local church and donor giving is directly deployed into one of our five mission priorities.

— Covenant churches gave a total of $10.77 million to Covenant mission and ministry.

— 1,917 individuals gave $2,067,697 to the President’s Mission and Min-istry Fund, the year-round fundrais-ing program to further the mission and ministry of our church both locally and globally through our five mission priorities.

— A generous donor offered to match up to $100,000 of all first-time or increased gifts to the Presi-dent’s Circle (donors who support the Covenant through undesignated giving at or above $1,000). More than $300,000 in matching gifts were given, which resulted in 173 President Circle Members, includ-ing 79 first-time members—a 64 percent increase in dollars given over the previous year.

Operations perations has mul-tiple dimensions including man-agement of Gov-ernance, Human

Resources, Events, Information Services, Facilities, and general administrative functions of the the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). These ministry support services resource Covenant Offices employees, missionaries, volunteers

servicing in elected and appointed roles, conferences, affiliate minis-tries, and the church constituency.

“We strive to exercise fiscally responsible and effective steward-ship of the resources entrusted to us with the hope of providing the best possible experience to the many churches and ECC personnel we serve,” says executive director of operations Rebecca Gonzalez.

“Through all our efforts, we hope

to see individuals grow deeper in Christ and go farther in mission.”

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— Missional engagement improved for more than 107 employees from Covenant Offices and more than 98 missionary personnel via Human Resources and IS improvement strategies.

— More than 2,800 people from over 400 churches strengthened their commitment to God and call, the relational bond with fellow Covenanters, and the ECC mission through Covenant Events.

— 45+ ECC leadership boards, committees, associations, and con-ferences were resourced through Operations’ support services.

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REBECCA GONZALEZExecutive Director of Operations

he ministry of Communications encompasses print and digital media and provides design, editorial, and multimedia services to both the internal ministries at Covenant Offices as well as the ECC’s regional conferences, affiliates, and local churches. “Our task is to promote and advance the mission

of the ECC through inspired media, marketing, and ministry,” says executive director of communications Ed Gilbreath. “Our vision is a more informed and connected Covenant community.”


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MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— The Covenant Companion and CovenantCompanion.com won 7 Associated Church Press Awards and 10 Evangelical Press Association Awards, including the EPA’s Best Denominational Magazine honor for the second year in a row.

— Partnered with mission priorities and affiliates to produce more than 80 major video projects.

— Assisted Make and Deepen Dis-ciples in launching successful Cov-enant Community Bible Experience and BLESS campaigns, engaging more than 400 Covenant churches in Bible reading and evangelism.

— Partnered with Advancement to reboot the CovCares Giving Guide, raising some $122,758 toward min-istry efforts across the five mission priorities.

— Our social media presence is strong and growing with 8,200 Facebook fans, 3,200 Twitter follow-ers, and 2.5 million page views on CovChurch.org last year.

Communications

EDWARD GILBREATHExecutive Director of Communications


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n addition to our mission priorities and support ministries, our affiliated corporations and institutions give leadership to specialized ministries in complex regulatory environments.

Together they live out our mission and ministry through compassionate service, wise financial stewardship, and holis-

tic higher education.These include Covenant Ministries of Benevolence (retirement communi-

ties, hospital, enabling residences, and related services), North Park Univer-sity (undergraduate and graduate education, including North Park Theologi-cal Seminary), CHET (our Hispanic theological training center), Covenant Trust Company (assisting individuals and other entities with investment management and estate planning), and National Covenant Properties (our lending institution to churches and other entities, with investment opportu-nities for individuals).

There are an additional 21 related camps and conference centers throughout the denomination.

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Affiliated Ministries

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— Mt. Miguel Covenant Village in Spring Valley, California, celebrated its fifty-year anniversary as well as the second phase opening of the new town center building. The Peterson Life Center is named in honor of Covenant Retirement Communities’ first president, Paul V. Peterson.

— The Women’s Health Center of Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chi-cago served more than 15,000 women in more than 180 languages last year. The hospital’s violence prevention program has trained more than 700 providers on best practices related to the identification and response to domestic violence, human traffick-

ing, and sexual assault. Its emergency department project completed the first of a four-phase renovation proj-ect with expected completion in the fall of 2018.

— Ädelbrook Behavioral and Devel-opmental Services in Cromwell, Con-necticut, opened a business making and selling dog treats called the Bark-ery, where young adults with autism spectral disorders or other develop-mental disabilities can develop social and work readiness skills in a commu-nity work setting.

— On June 30, 2017, David Dwight retires after fifteen years as president of CMB. Roger Oxendale succeeds him.

n outreach of the Evangelical Cov-enant Church, Covenant Ministries of Benevolence

(CMB) extends the helping hand of Jesus Christ in its mission to nurture the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of the sick, poor, aging, underserved, or at risk.

CMB ministries include health and human services on behalf of the ECC, senior housing and services, a full-service hospital in Chicago, and special needs ministries, which include housing, education, and counseling.

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Covenant Ministries of BenevolenceDAVID A. DWIGHTPresident

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The Women’s Health Center at Swedish Covenant Hospital offers a full range of medical services to more than 15,000 women.


orth Park University is an intentionally Christian university of the Evangelical Covenant Church designed to prepare stu-dents for lives of significance and service through education in the liberal arts, professional studies, and theology.

North Park bears fruit today because the university was formed as a city-centered learning community 125 years ago. It has been nourished by its church heritage, framed by an immigrant sensibility, and guided by a moral commitment to extend access and equity in education to all who seek it. In like manner, the fruit to be harvested in years to come is determined by us today as we cultivate and fertilize the soil, and prune the branches and water the roots.

North Park University

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— Alumni and friends from around the world joined the campus com-munity in September 2016 to cel-ebrate the 125th anniversary of the university’s founding.

— The university introduced “Cata-lyst 606_ _” as an overarching brand for learning at North Park that leverages Chicago as the classroom, expanding urban learning opportu-nities for undergraduates.

— The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted North Park as “one of the few evangelical colleges where the number of minority students now equals white students.” In addi-tion, NPU is one of four colleges featured in the forthcoming book Diversity Matters: Race, Ethnicity, and the Future of Higher Education.

— The university awarded 793 degrees in 2016–2017, a record number. This included 519 under-graduate degrees and 237 graduate degrees (both at a record level), along with 37 seminary degrees.

— David Parkyn retires June 30, 2017, after eleven years as president of the university.

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DAVID PARKYNPresident

North Park University’s president David Parkyn with a student

orth Park Theological Seminary exists to prepare students academically, practically, and spiritually to serve the Covenant Church and other Christian bodies, and to minister to both church and world through scholarship, teaching, service, and community life.

The strategic landscape for seminaries is changing as the line between church and lay vocation blurs. Today’s seminary needs to offer theological and missional training for the whole church.

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North Park Theological Seminary

DAVID W. KERSTENDean of the Seminary

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— In partnership with the Covenant Church, the seminary has launched the Covenant Scholars Program, which provides interest-free loans for incoming MDiv residential students to help reduce the overall debt load of pastors entering ministry upon their graduation.

— The school also launched a mas-ter’s level cohort in partnership with the Pacific Southwest Conference, making a seminary education acces-sible to a broader range of pastors.

— A Lilly Endowment Inc. grant will support research in how the seminary can equip students, lay leaders, and clergy to better thrive in ministry. During the initial research phase NPTS is reaching out to laypeople, pastors, and students to evaluate how it can better serve the denomination and local church.

— New faculty appointments include Dwight Perry as new dean of faculty and professor of homiletics and leadership, Hauna Ondrey as assis-tant professor of church history, and Elizabeth Pierre in a shared position between the seminary and university in the area of pastoral care and in the master’s in counseling program.

— 202 students were enrolled for 2016-2017, including more than 50 Covenant Orientation students.

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MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— Of the ten Latino men and women ordained to word and sacra-ment this year, seven completed or received their ministry training at CHET. And Danny Martinez is the first graduate of CHET to become a conference superintendent (Cen-tral).

— Ten CHET graduates completed the Covenant Church Planting Assessment, and five are in the process of planting churches in the Pacific Southwest Conference.

— Fourteen CHET students from Rwanda, DR Congo, Burundi, and

Kenya completed the pastoral theol-ogy program under the auspices of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Kenya.

— Thanks to a generous donor, CHET installed its first Smart Class-room platform, which will serve stu-dents in remote locations nationally and internationally.

— CHET is one of four Hispanic Bible institutes in the U.S. to have its baccalaureate degree program certi-fied in agreement with the Associa-tion of Theological Schools and the Association for Hispanic Theological Education.

HET (Centro His-pano de Estudios Teológicos) is the ECC’s theological and pastoral train-

ing center for Hispanic church planters, pastors, and lay leaders. Offering courses in multiple loca-tions, CHET is committed to serving the church through empowering its Hispanic leaders.

Since its founding in 1989, CHET has trained more than 68 percent of the Latino pastors leading ECC congregations.

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Centro Hispano de Estudios TeológicosEDWARD F. DELGADOPresident

CHET president Ed Delgado speaks to this year’s graduates. CHET serves an average of 600 students per year.

ovenant Trust Company (CTC) is the Covenant-owned trust com-pany providing asset

management, trustee, and estate planning services to the members, friends, and institutions of the ECC. Our mission is to faithfully empower generosity through excellent money management.

CTC is focused on improving the financial health of our clients so they have the freedom to give chari-tably to the ministries that are close to their hearts. We know that many people dream of making an impact on their communities with their donations but often find themselves hamstrung by their finances. But if people have the desire to give, we can help make it possible.

We offer holistic financial services that not only provide for our clients’ needs but also enable them to give generously. This isn’t simply our job—this is our ministry.

Through Covenant Trust Com-pany this year endowments were cre-ated to fund kids’ scholarships and capital improvements at Covenant Pines Bible Camp in McGregor, Minnesota; a woman who came to know God through her church

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Covenant Trust CompanyANN P. WIESBROCKPresident

wanted to ensure that the church’s ministry continued after she passed away and left an estate gift that enabled the church to do much-needed repairs to their building; another client named her church a beneficiary of her trust which helped them afford a youth pastor, pave the church’s parking lot, and update the pastor’s parsonage.

Together our clients have donated millions of dollars that impact not only churches and min-istries but generations of families that they serve and will serve in the future. We have seen and experi-enced that God does not require people to be wealthy—only willing.

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— CTC has hired additional full-time financial services representatives to increase its capacity to serve individu-als, churches, and local ministries.

— CTC expanded its reach online by delivering powerful messages and financial education through videos, podcasts, eBooks, and other online resources.

— In 2016 CTC distributed $7.4 mil-lion to the ministries of the Evangeli-cal Covenant Church, and more than 30 percent of all future gifts have been designated for churches and local ministries.

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Endowments to fund scholarships to help send kids to Covenant camps were created this year through Covenant Trust Company.


MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

— In 2016 investment certificates and accounts grew by $15 million, or 4.6 percent.

— For the first time, NCP reached $400 million in total assets.

— More than $23,800,000 in new loans were made to ECC congrega-tions in 2016. When we say “we lend,” we mean that all of our investors are participating in these loans that help Covenant ministries grow.

— NCP currently provides more than $285 million in loans to more than 300 Covenant projects.

— A financial and real estate training program for Covenant congregations has been launched to allow pastors, staff, and church leaders to employ “best practices” in stewarding the resources of the local congregation. NCP held three sessions serving approximately 100 people last year, with nine sessions scheduled for 2017.

— With a new website, NCP increased its online capabilities, and 1,000 investors have already signed up at nationalcovenantproperties.org to use this service. We also launched our Instagram and Facebook pages. Be sure to follow @nationalcovenant-properties to stay up to date on our projects.

ou invest. We lend. Ministry grows. National Covenant Properties (NCP) is the loan source

and short-term investment arm for the Evangelical Covenant Church. NCP equips Covenant churches and individuals to help grow the kingdom of God through investments and

loans that drive ministry like no other resource. NCP supports growth of local and regional ministries by connecting mission-minded investments to kingdom-expanding projects. We understand that fruitful ministry requires facilities that are both inviting and effective. So we bring inspired coaching and appropriate loans to Covenant congregations and other Covenant orga-nizations seeking to improve their facilities.

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National Covenant Properties

STEPHEN R. DAWSONPresident

Community Evangelical Covenant Church in Lenexa, Kansas, was financed by a loan from National Covenant Properties.

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Gary B. WalterPresident of the [email protected]

Stephen R. DawsonPresident of National Covenant Propertiessteve.dawson@

covchurch.org

David A. DwightPresident of Covenant Ministries of [email protected]

Edward GilbreathExecutive Director of Communicationsed.gilbreath@

covchurch.org

Rebecca GonzalezExecutive Director of Operationsrebecca.gonzalez@

covchurch.org

Paul A. HawkinsonExecutive Director of Finance, Treasurerpaul.hawkinson@

covchurch.org

David W. KerstenDean of North Park Theological [email protected]

Richard B. LuccoExecutive Director for Ministry [email protected]

Mark A. NovakExecutive Minister of the Ordered [email protected]

David L. ParkynPresident of North Park [email protected]

Michelle SanchezExecutive Minister of Make and Deepen Disciplesmichelle.sanchez@

covchurch.org

Al TizonExecutive Minister of Serve [email protected]

John WenrichExecutive Minister of Start and Strengthen Churchesjohn.wenrich@

covchurch.org

Ann P. WiesbrockPresident of Covenant Trust Companyapwiesbrock@

covenanttrust.com

Cecilia WilliamsExecutive Minister of Love Mercy Do Justicececilia.williams@

covchurch.org

ADMINISTRATORS


Covenant Leaders

Jeffrey D. AndersonCanada [email protected]

Garth T. BolinderMidsouth [email protected]

Howard K. BurgoyneEast Coast [email protected]

Curtis P. IvanoffAlaska [email protected]

Garth McGrathGreat Lakes [email protected]

Jerome O. NelsonCentral [email protected]

Robert L. OwensSoutheast Conferencerobert.owens@

southeastconf.org

Mark R. StrombergNorthwest Conferencemark@northwest

conference.org

Tammy K. Swanson-DraheimMidwest [email protected]

Paul V. WilsonPacific Southwest [email protected]

Gregory J. YeePacific Northwest [email protected]

Roy E. ApplequistSalina, KS

Rebecca BarnettActon, MA

Jon BonkowskiArden Hills, MN

Rachel BurkeFayetteville, GA

Mary J. CunninghamAda, MI

David R. DanielsonRochester, MN

William A. DavidsonSan Ramon, CA

Lance DavisSouth Holland, IL

Donna EricksonMinneapolis, MN

Roberto GhioneSimi Valley, CA

Doris GranberryMiami, FL

Stacey A. HeimkesGilbert, AZ

Jeffrey A. HoustonMcPherson, KS

Michael L. JordanKerman, CA

Joshua KangWheeling, IL

Alice S. LeeMissouri City, TX

Erick MarquezMontebello, CA

Juana I. NestaBrentwood, CA

Jenell PluimWetaskiwin, AB

Carolyn L. PoterekGlenview, IL

John StewartWorthington, MA

Valerie ThomasBethel, AK

Dwain TissellHappy Valley, OR

Michael L. WilsonLivermore, CA

Cindy WuSugar Land, TX

EXECUTIVE BOARDSUPERINTENDENTS


How can we help your

ministry grow?Let’s talk.

Learn more at nationalcovenantproperties.org

YOU INVEST.WE LEND.MINISTRY GROWS.

“If I could encourage other pastors and leaders who might think owning a building is pie-in-the-sky-dreaming, I would say, make a phone call and talk to National Covenant Properties. Ask if they can come out to visit and see if it’s possible. You never know what God may do when you have a lending partner who’s family.” Pat Stark, Associate Superintendent, Pacific Southwest Conference

The offer and sale of the Certificates is limited to persons who, prior to receipt of our Offering Circular, were members of, contributors to, participants in, or affiliates of The Evangelical Covenant Church, including any program, activity, or organization that constitutes a part of The Evangelical Covenant Church, or any of its conferences, or any congregation of The Evangelical Covenant Church, or other persons who are ancestors, descendants, or successors in interest to such persons (Investors). This does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Certificates. There shall not be any sale of the Certificates in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale is not authorized. The offering is made solely by the Offering Circular. The offering of Certificates involves certain risks, which are more fully disclosed in the Offering Circular under the heading “Risk Factors.” In the event NCP exercises its right to redeem a Certificate prior to maturity and upon sixty (60) days notice to the holder thereof, payment of the outstanding principal and interest will be paid to the holder to the date of redemption. The Variable Rate Certificates, Demand Investment Accounts, Individual Retirement Account (IRA) Certificates, Health Savings Account (HSA) Certificates and 403(b) Certificates are not available for sale to investors residing in South Carolina. The Variable Rate Certificates and Demand Investment Accounts are not available for sale to investors residing in Louisiana. NCP’s Certificates are not insured by any governmental agency or private insurance company, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or any state bank, insurance fund, or any other governmental agency.

For more information, call

(800) 366-6273

YOU INVEST • WE LEND • MINISTRY GROWS

NATIONALCOVENANTPROPERTIES

Documents

“A CORD of THREE STRANDS is not EASILY BROKEN.” Stronger · Bejarano. Pastor Fredy Merida and his wife, Norma, from Vida Abundante Evangelical Covenant Church in Burbank, California,