Discovering Our Roots (Part Two)

Defining the Evangelical Free Church in Malaysia

By Khen Lim

PART TWO - THE FOREIGN CONNECTION 

Introduction

As we know, the origins of EFC in Malaysia are inextricably linked to America. The American missionaries who were so integral to many of their formations in Part I (of this series) originated from the EFC of America (EFCA).  

Formed in as late as 1950, EFCA itself has an illustrious history of its own, being a merger of two churches – the Swedish EFC and the Norwegian-Danish EFC Association. Both of them were established during the period of revival in 1884. These two churches lay down important clues to the roots of the modern-day Evangelical Free Church movement. 

The first EFC church in America, 1885 (Image source: firstfreechurch.org)

Under the full name of Swedish Evangelical Free Church Mission, its foundation in October 1884 in Boone, Iowa was the result of a voluntary fellowship among several neighbouring churches at that time. They included the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Ansgar Synod, the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Synod and also several other independent congregations. It is obvious that many of these congregations were Scandinavian by nature.

Another Scandinavian concern was the second church in the merger. By its name alone, the Norwegian-Danish EFC Association was obviously an amalgam of different Norwegian and Danish groups mainly in the areas of Boston, Massachusetts and Tacoma, Washington, going back to 1912. Like the other, fellowshipping was the motive. 

 

EFC church confirmation class of 1914 under the pastorship of E.A. Holleen (Image source: firstfreechurch.org)

It was a few decades later, in June 1950, that both of these groups made a decision at the Medicine Lake Conference Groups (near Minneapolis, Minnesota) to come together. As a result, no less than 275 local congregations were united under a single identity. Surviving this massive unification intact was the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church from which, EFC of America would eventually take shape.

It is irrefutable that further historical clues lie in EFCA’s pronounced Scandinavian heritage and that is where a little more digging can reveal the real legacy of the Evangelical Free Church movement. Going earlier than 1884 will then take us back to Europe where its early traction offers plenty of clarity as to the movement’s doctrinal imperatives around the use of the word ‘Free.’

Pietism – the European seed

Inevitably one cannot hide the movement’s Scandinavian roots. Steeped in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, we can then move further back to the 17th century where a certain Philipp Jakob Spener had conceived the Pietist Movement. Evidently better known as the ‘Father of Pietism,’ Spener gives us the first early historical clue for the birth of the EFC denomination.

Philipp Jakob Spener (b.1635 d.1705) (Image source: romanodermatt.ch)

Originating from the word ‘piety’ and coming from a Teutonic background, this was a movement with Lutheran underpinnings that was popular from the late 17th to mid-18th century. In those sixty years, Pietism drew its influences from Protestantism; in particular, from John Wesley who gave the world Methodism and from Alexander Mack who went on to inspire the Brethren movement.

Pietism is a blend of Lutheranism and the Reformed order including Puritanism, with its emphasis on individual piety and a resolute Christian lifestyle. Spener’s 1675 publication called ‘Pia Desideria’ (tr. Earnest Desire for a Reform of the True Evangelical Church) lay down six principles that defined Pietism, declaring that these were most essential for restoring Church life to its truest form. They include the following:

Principle 1: Studiousness of the Bible in personal life

Principle 2: Priestliness among Christian members in spiritually guiding the Church

Principle 3: Christ-centred knowledge as an integral part of the Church

Principle 4: Empathy and kindness towards unbelievers (deferring from the common bitter attacks)

Principle 5: To refocus the study of theology for a life properly devoted to Christ

Principle 6: To edify the inner spirit, placing importance on bearing spiritual fruit through a more effective way of preaching

Born on January 13 1635, Philipp Jakob Spener was first trained in ministry work before he went on to become a pastor in Strasbourg. Later he left for Geneva where he pursued a higher level of meaning and purpose to Christian living for him and his congregation. To that end, he decided to organise group-based Bible studies at his home where he would engage his members in not only praying together but to review the Sunday sermons with the aim of properly understanding the message at the pulpit. 

Trade River Evangelical Free Church, 1950 (Image source: traderiverefc.org)

By doing so, he was fulfilling several of the six principles he had laid out. In calling to action what he had done, Spener called it ‘ecclesiolae in ecclesia’ or ‘little churches within the church’ and in so many ways, we can join the dots from his principles at work to what we call, today, ‘church cell groups.’

Spener’s scholarly experiences in this regard gave rise to the understanding of Pietism in its very essence. From this came the basis of which people would refer to it as ‘collegia pietatis’ or the ‘college of the pious.’ Spener believed that through this, a more profound personal Christian experience could be nurtured and from thereon, a character truer to Christ could then be shaped that would espouse a spiritual rebirth (or ‘born again’).

All of these formed much of the core of Protestantism, offering a contemporary view of a personable and intimate relationship between man and God our Father but it is also inevitable that none of these boded well by the conservative Church bent on centralised control and governance. From them came sharp criticisms and virulent opposition. Despite their resoluteness to play them down, Spener’s ideas were popular, proving widespread throughout not just Germany but they had also fanned out quite successfully to their Scandinavian neighbours.

This was particularly true of Norway. By then every Norwegian library throughout the country was encouraged to offer Protestant Bibles that were freely available for the people to borrow to read and study. In addition, there were also hymn books and numerous copies explaining Luther’s Catechism in contrast to the Roman Catholic dogma.

Interestingly as well, the Pietist movement had also spread quickly to mission work. This was especially significant because the missionaries that were to be despatched to India from Halle, Germany (where the movement was centred) were also the first ever to the sub-continent by a Protestant church.

Pietism was so successful that a century later, it was still influential enough to have been the inspiration behind the Moravian and Methodist movements. This success was strong testimony to the great importance of the six tenets Spener proposed and how they shed light to living a life of Christ in ways the public was denied of understanding. In so many ways, Pietism exposed the very inadequacy of the conservative state Church in which none of these were ever spoken of until now.

Spener’s Pietism laid down a desirous passion – and good reasons for it – to adopt a new life in Christ. It put into sharp focus the inclusiveness of the personal Godly experience, the genuine joy in attaining a purposeful relationship with and in Christ and the fundamental need to be of spiritual fruitfulness, dishing out love to those who are in need, who are lost or who have been led astray. 

Freedom from meddling

Swedish immigrants in front of the First Evangelical Free Church, Minnesota (Image source: firstefc.org)

The Pietist movement also offered another important cue. It underscored the importance of being independent from the clutches of the established Church. It was almost a natural outcome that it would lead next to an extension of the movement that called for a freedom initiative. Loosely referred to as the ‘Free Church’ movement, traction became noticeable only after two hundred years following Spener’s introduction of Pietism. And again, the seed was sown in Germany.

It was evident that Pietism earned the scorn of the established state Church. It also revealed a concern for meddling by church authorities as they saw fit. Being authorised by state governments, the Church believed they were the only ones to set behavioural standards, social ethics, codifying norms for those who attend church services throughout Germany.

State Churches during that period of time were very powerful and could not be underestimated. In England was Henry VIII’s Church of England that gained even more power after his daughter, Elizabeth I took reins. In Germany, the Lutheran Church stood tall even over neighbouring countries including Norway, Sweden, Denmark including Iceland and Finland.

In its natural discourse, Pietism would go hand in hand with calls for a ‘Free Church’ and the implications for the state Church were not subtle; and so were the ramifications. In its fundamental form, churches under the Pietist influence did not want to have any formal relationship as they preferred to be free of all institutionalised obligations. They wanted no subservience to any of the state-run programmes; neither did they, in any form or manner, desire to be submissive to politicised state agendas. For all of these, the churches deemed as ‘deadness.’

By divorcing themselves from the state Church, the ‘Free Church’ movement realised opportunities to develop Christ-like characters imbued in godly relationships, to engage in purposeful discourses and to foster a renewed commitment to a God-centred life. They could now also participate in evangelical and missionary works free of unnecessary encumbrances. 

Theodor Harms (b.1819 d.1885) (Image source: de.wikipedia.org)

The earliest recorded piece of significance for the ‘Free Church’ movement was when Theodor Harms founded the Evangelical Free Church of Hannover in 1878 with the aim of drawing close in relationship with his brother’s missionary training school in Hermansburg. To put things into perspective, that was almost six years prior to the first American venture with the Scandinavian migrants.  

With the Pietist movement’s interests in mission work concerns, Harms’ church alliance with his brother’s school was obviously pivotal. It is not inconceivable to find some link between this and the EFC movement across the Atlantic to America. Whether or not we have the hard evidence to prove this, Harms’ association with the school did turn out some exciting possibilities once the concept proved popular. 

This prompted rapid growth across the European continent with similar parallels happening elsewhere. The new movement, combining the ‘Free Church’ idea with Pietism, gained quick acceptance with Scandinavian countries but Europe alone was not enough. It would take a few more years until October 1884 when cross-Atlantic migration opened opportunities for growth to then occur in America.

Once the migrants settled in Boone, Iowa, U.S.A., the challenge was before them to transplant the ‘Free Church’ movement there, eventually taking us all the way to the establishment of the Evangelical Free Church denomination.

The inextricable Pietist connection

Historical sketch of the Evangelical Free Church in Georgetown, Texas, 1924 (Image source: williamson-county-historical-commission.org)

The Pietist connection from Spener through Harms all the way to the present Evangelical Free Church movement was now forever sealed. With the Scandinavian migration, the turning point had been arrived at. Although the European legacy seems all but lost today, that heritage actually continues to exist. The doctrinal influence remains pervasive, continuing to pave the way for us to learn a few important fundamental lessons. From the basis founded in Spener’s teachings, we identify five:

-        To place value in the rational and relational aspects of our faith in Christ

-        To be very clear about our doctrinal stands and principles

-        To place great importance in the warmth of our devotion

-        To have our faith firmly grounded in solid Biblical teachings

-        To establish a rich and rewarding, intimate relationship with Christ

The second church, 1924 (Image source: williamson-county-historical-commission.org)

And with these, Pietism lines up perfectly with modern-day EFC movement. This is how we see the symbiotic connection:

-        A sincere desire to personally grow deep in the Word

-        To run the church with spiritual integrity and to share Christian priesthood with the congregation

-        To flesh out spiritual fulfilment in the Church by way of Christian Bible study

-        To be empathetic, supportive and encouraging towards unbelievers

-        To elevate theology studies to the highest education level to deepen devotion

-        To nourish the inner spiritual man through more refreshing approaches to preaching

Pietism is so integral within the fabric of the EFC movement that its influence remains far-reaching today. As we can see from the above aspects, the similarities are not just striking but they are staple to the function of an EFC church. 

We can also see the striking importance of how understanding the Bible is central to the predominant nature of Pietism. To study the Bible in its depth is to properly understand the contextual relevance of its pivotal verses and then to learn to properly apply them in our daily lives – for Pietists, these are how Christ is reflected in our being as Christians.

Pietism offers the spiritual inlays within the EFC structure the means to seek and attain a broader application of Christ’s teachings. In other words, a solid scriptural grounding is not enough; we are to extend that to building our characters and shaping our personalities to be Christ-worthy. 

And to do this, we need to be compassionate not just to our brothers and sisters in Christ but also to those who are spiritually lost or abandoned, those who have lost hope and those who are in bad need to be understood. 

New EFC church on Chicago Ave., 1951 (Image source: firstfreechurch.org)

The influence of Pietism upon the Scandinavian migration to North America can never be underestimated. Steeped and built into its mission roots, the Pietistic characteristics of EFC America were all on display in their successful mission endeavours to Malaysia and Singapore through the early Sixties to the early Eighties.

Given the Pietist heritage back to its European roots, the inheritance is clearly in all the EFC churches in Malaysia and Singapore. They all trace back to the Biblical roots grounded in Christ at the cross thus reflecting the genuine life of a true Christian. 

The driving influence from historical Europe should be easier to see when we understand the central role that Spener’s teachings had played in the background, how they fuelled the inspiration behind EFC America’s passion to come to Malaysia and Singapore and how they still resonate in the sixteen EFC churches here.

Malaysia	16 chapters	Malacca EFC (1963), Petaling Jaya EFC (PJEFC, 1965), Emmanuel EFC (1970), Faith EFC (1975), EFC Gospel Centre (1979), Grace EFC (1979), Cheras EFC (1981), Seremban EFC (1981), Hosanna EFC (1982), Hope EFC (1983), Klang EFC (1983), Malacca Life EFC (1984), PJEFC Chinese (1992), Kepong EFC (2001), Bukit Jelutong EFC (BJEFC, 2009), New Creation Life EFC (2012) Total congregation size (as at 2015): Approx 1,790 Chapters in italics have direct development and guidance from American missionaries commissioned by EFCA
Singapore		Woodlands EFC (1961), Bethany EFC (1958), Charis EFC (1997), Covenant EFC (1978), Emmanuel EFC, Emmaus EFC, Family of Grace EFC, Geylang EFC, Praise EFC, S-Word EFC Note: Year of establishment information may or may not be correct. Similar information for other EFCs are not possible to find at this moment.

- Continued Part Three –