A Brief History of Evangel

From the beginning, the leadership at Evangel felt like there was a specific reason for starting this new work. There was a sense that Evangel was to intentionally pursue relationships with other churches, working hard to break down walls between groups who have been called to walk in unity as the body of Christ.

For the first year, Evangel met at a local union hall on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights. Sunday nights were devoted to bringing in local pastors and leaders, exposing the people at ECF to different styles and perspectives of "the church." We were then invited to share a facility with a church that was then called Church of the Risen Savior, meeting in the evenings at 5:00 PM. This unique meeting time allowed us to visit and support other local area churches on Sunday mornings, putting feet to our vision of working to bridge the gap between church groups.

In August of 1994, Evangel was invited to move to New Covenant Christian Fellowship which met on Commerce Ave. We met together as one group for 4 months, after which time we moved back to our familiar 5:00 PM time slot and shared the facility with New Covenant for the next 3 years.

To try to make room for the growing numbers of small children that were attending ECF and the need for more classroom space, in September 1997, we had the opportunity to meet at First Christian Church on Kessler Blvd. Meeting in this very traditional church was an honor, as well as a challenge for this contemporary group. We continued to meet for our main service at 5:00 PM on Sundays and added a mid-week service on Tuesday evenings.

During the winter of 1998, Evangel had the opportunity to lease the building that had previously housed Marauder’s Bingo on 11th Ave. We spent the next 18-months cleaning and remodeling the facility to accommodate a meeting area, classrooms, office space and a coffeehouse.

The work on the building was finished in June of 2001 and is busy almost every night of the week, providing a place to gather together, encourage each other, and reach out to the community with the love of Jesus. On January 2022 Kevin & Nina Salinas were ordained by the elders and are now the current lead Pastors at Evangel.

Statement of Faith 

One True God: We believe that the One True God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent I Am, the Creator of the universe, and the Redeemer of mankind (Deuteronomy 6: 4; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:10-11). God has further revealed Himself as a triune being: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, being perfectly unified, identical in essence, equal in divinity. (Isaiah 48:16; Matthew 28:19; Luke 3:22; Ephesians 2:18; John 1:1-3).

The Scripture Inspired: We believe that all scripture, both Old and New Testaments, are verbally inspired of God and are an inerrant revelation of God to man. They are the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:21).

The Deity of Christ: We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and, as such, shares in the divinity and deity of God (Matthew 1:23, John 5:22; 2 John 3; Hebrews 1: 1-3).

Salvation by Grace: We believe in salvation by grace. The free gift from God, given to all who believe in His Son Jesus Christ and accept Him as the Lord of their life. Mans only hope of redemption and salvation from the power of sin is through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Romans 5:8-13, 10:9; James 1:21; Ephesians 2:8; John 3:16-19).

Water Baptism: The ordinance of baptism by immersion in water is commanded in the scriptures. All who repent of their sins and believe in Christ as Savior and Lord are to be baptized. This is a declaration to the world that they identify with Christ in His death and have been raised with Him in newness of life (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4).

The Virgin Birth: We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14) (Matthew 1:18-23).

The Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit places a believer into union with Christ and with other believers in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13.) The filling of the Holy Spirit is how He empowers believers with the fruits and the gifts to enable us to live a pleasing life. (Acts 4:31; Ephesians 5:18.) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is God, the Holy Spirit, and takes up residence in our lives (John 14:17; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; 1 John 4:4). The sealing of the Holy Spirit is God marking us as His possession (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Communion: We believe that the Lords Supper consisting of the elements of bread and the cup of the fruit of the vine is the symbol expressing our sharing in the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ and and we believe that it represents the mutual communion of believers and with each other. (2 Peter 1:4). It is a memorial of His suffering, His death, and we believe it is a time to remember and reflect on what Christ has done.(1 Corinthians 11: 24-26), a prophecy of His Second Coming (1 Corinthians 11: 26), and is enjoined on all believers until He comes again.

Second Coming of Christ: We believe in the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24:1-44) (John 14:1-3) (Acts 1:9-11) (1 Corinthians 15:20-24) (I Thessalonians 4:15-17) (I Thessalonians 5:1-3) (II Thessalonians 2:1-4) (Titus 2:11-13)

The Church and its Mission: We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Holy Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of His great commission. Each believer, born of the Spirit, is an integral part of the general assembly and the church of the firstborn, Which was written in heaven (Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:22; Hebrews 12:23). We also believe that the local congregation of Christian believers is divinely called and is the chosen instrument of God for the furtherance of Gods work upon the earth. We believe that the local church is Gods chosen vehicle for evangelism, the nurturing of Christians, and the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, thereby building up the Body of Christ. We believe Gods purpose concerning man is to seek and to save all who are lost, to be worshiped by man, and to build a body of believers in the image of His Son. (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:19-29; Mark 16:15-16 ; )(1 Corinthians 12:28, 14:12).

Divine Healing: We believe that divine healing was provided for in the Old Testament (Exodus 15:23-26; Psalms 103:1-3, Isaiah 53:4-5) and was completed and solidified in the broken body of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It is an integral part of the Gospel (Matthew 8:16-17; Acts 5:16; James 5:14-16). Every believer is reminded of the provision of healing when he/she observes the ordinance of communion.

Worship: We believe that the whole purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Therefore, we believe in the act of worshiping God with ones total being as set forth in the Holy Scriptures (Psalm 150; Mark 12:29-31; Ephesians 5:18-21).

Laying on of Hands: We believe in the doctrine of laying on of hands for: The confirming of a believer to commitment and ministry in the local church. The confirming of ones call of God to special ministry in the local church (Acts 13:3; Ephesians 4:1-7). The imparting of spiritual gifts (1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6). The experiencing of the infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17-18). The ministering of healing to the sick through the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 16:18). The blessing and dedication of children to the Lord (Mark 10:16). We further believe, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, we should lay hands on no man suddenly, but that the laying on of hands confirms a ministry which is already observable and proven (1 Timothy 5:22).

Ever Increasing Faith: We believe that faith of the heart (Romans 10:9-10) is based on hearing (spiritual understanding) Gods Word (Romans 10:17). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Christians are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), justified by faith (Romans
3:28, 5:1; Galatians 2:16, 3:11), shall live by faith (Romans 1:16-17; Hebrews 10:38), and overcome the world by faith (1 John 5: 4).