First Covenant Church

First Covenant Church of Fort Dodge, Iowa began ministering to the local community in the late 19th century, under the name Swedish Mission church. As many Swedes had come to America seeking a better life and to improve their economic life, they also experienced freedom from State church requirements. A group of these people settled on the west ban... k of the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge and they are our First Covenant Church founding members. These people desired a deeper relationship with God and held a firm belief in the Bible as the Word of God. These beliefs were shaped by the Protestant Reformation, the state Lutheran Church of Sweden, and the spiritual like movements of the late 19th century. This group of believers held its first meetings in the homes of parishioners, and on April 28, 1896, with the Rev. Ernest Lindholm as their leader, the church was formally organized with six charter members. Today, the spiritual heritage of the founding members continues to guide First Covenant church. A few years after its founding, the local church became part of the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America, a denomination which has since changed its name to the Evangelical Covenant Church. As stated on the denominations website, The Covenant Church adheres to the affirmation of the Protestant Reformation regarding the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testament, as the Word of God, and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. This is one of the fundamental beliefs brought to the Fort Dodge church by the Swedish immigrants who founded the local church. It is because of this centrality of the Word that the ECC is making great strides toward racial reconciliation and true dialogue with different people groups. Revelation 7:9 describes people who will stand before Gods throne as from every nation, tribe, people and language. We desire for this Kingdom vision in heaven to be reflected on earth. This focus has allowed the ECC to be one of the most diverse churches in America. In the 120 ...Read More