教會歷史 Church History


丹城基督教播道會歷史﹕

一九八八年一對在香港播道會神學院畢業，及在香港播道會教會事奉的袁奇恩牧師夫婦自香港移民來美，在丹佛神學院進修之際，兩位播道會同工（中、西各一位）分享這城市華人福音的需要，他們夫婦二人同心合意禱告後，按神的旨意清礎帶領下，於一九八九年十月廿二日開始了第一次崇拜。一九九四年七月搬進現在的堂址。




北美播道會歷史﹕
約在1850年起，當時北歐地方有大批瑞典人、丹麥人、挪威人移民到美洲，基督徒因而在不同地方成立教會。 而美國瑞典教會在1884年成立；及後，來自瑞典、挪威及丹麥的信徒合併成為「美國播道會」。

為何稱為「播道會」 (Evangelical Free Church) 呢？

1. Evangelical 代表福音派的教會；乃篤信聖經無誤，並持守純正福音信仰，以廣傳福音為使命的屬靈群體。
2. Free 是表示國家與教會兩者之間的獨立性，意思是教會不是受國家的控制，需要脫離國家教會的制度，以聖經為最高的權威(政教分離)。此外，Free (自由) 亦代表著個別地方的教會有獨立自主的權力，強調個別地方的教牧、長執積極參與和推動地方教會的發展。




History of DCEFC

Rev.and Mrs. Chi-Eng Yuan emigrated to the Unied States from Hong Kong in the summer of 1988. During the first month they settled down in Denver, some American and Chinese pastors of other E.F.C. churches shared the Gospel needs and encouraged them to plant a church among Chinese people in Denver area. They prayed for God's guidance seriously.
One year later, by the grace of God, Lakewood Chinese Evangelical Free Church began the first Sunday Service in Oct. 22, 1989, meeting at the Southern Gables Evangelical Free Church.

Since the Southern Gables would be relocating in April, 1994, Lakewood Chinese E.F.C. must find a place of their own so that we might continue to make disciples and share the Gospel among the thousands of Chinese people that God has placed on our doorstep.

Through prayer, offering and God's guidance, Lakewood Chinese E.F.C. bought a new building in Sept, 1993. In June 1994, the church moved to the new building and renamed "Denver Chinese Evangelical Free Church".




History of The Evangelical Free Church of America

The Evangelical Free Church of America was formed in 1950 by the merger of two church bodies: the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association. Both groups had been birthed in the revival movements of the late nineteenth century.

The Swedish group had its formal beginnings in Boone, Iowa, at a conference held in October of 1884. In that same year, two Norwegian-Danish groups began to worship and fellowship together in Boston, Massachusetts and Tacoma, Washington. By 1912, both the Swedish Evangelical Free Church and the Norwegian-Danish Evangelical Free Church Association had been formed.

Those two associations, representing 275 local congregations, were formally joined together as they gathered for a merger conference in June of 1950 at the Medicine Lake Conference Grounds near Minneapolis, Minnesota. The international and national offices of the EFCA have been located in Minneapolis since the merger took place.