We are a congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Church who seeks to form and nurture people and communities that are deeply committed to Jesus Christ and passionately engaged in Christ's mission in the world.  Together we affirm the centrality of the Word of God, the necessity of new birth in Christ, a commitment to the whole mission of the Church, the Church as a fellowship of believers, a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit, and the reality of freedom in Christ.

The Evangelical Covenant Church is a rapidly growing multiethnic denomination in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents of the world. Founded by Swedish immigrants, the ECC values the Bible as the word of God, the gift of God’s grace and ever-deepening spiritual life that comes through a faith with Jesus Christ, the importance of extending God’s love and compassion to a hurting world, and the strength the comes from unity within diversity.

The Evangelical Covenant Church is:

• Evangelical, but not exclusive
• Biblical, but not doctrinaire
• Traditional, but not rigid
• Congregational, but not independent

Identity and Biblical Mission

We are united by Christ in a holy covenant of churches empowered by the Holy Spirit to obey the great commandments and the great commission: to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to go into all the world and make disciples.

Vision for Mission

We covenant:

• to cultivate communities of worship committed to: prayer, preaching, and study of the word; the celebration of the sacraments; and fellowship across gender, race, age, culture, and class.
• to equip loving, giving, growing Christians to reach out with the good news of Jesus Christ – evangelizing the lost, ministering to those in need, and seeking justice for the oppressed.

Our Local Congregation

Hope's church family has a rich history that dates back to 1883, when we were founded as one the oldest churches in the Covenant denomination. Our first church here in the St. Cloud area was called "The Swedish Church of God" and was later named "The Swedish Mission Church". When the big decision was made to have the worship services spoken in English, departing from their loved Swedish language, another name change soon followed. "The Evangelical Covenant Church" has always had a big emphasis on missionaries and sending out God's message to the world, both near and far.