The American Evangelical Christian Churches is a denomination, with the aim of 'Security with Liberty', enabling orthodox Christian evangelical ministers the opportunity to minister without particular decrees about non-essential Christian doctrines. The AECC is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

History

It was founded in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1944. Any member of the church is required to accept the following seven articles of faith: In 2006, there were 17,400 members in 192 congregations. The organization was formerly headquartered in Pineland, Florida since the 1970s. The same city is the site of the group's retreat center and the American Bible College, an associated institution which offers

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

courses.

Seven Articles of Faith

*the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

is the written Word of God *the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

*the Virgin Birth *the deity of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

through

atonement Atonement, atoning, or making amends is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some othe ...

of Jesus, the Christ. *that prayer is essential to the life of the Christian *the

Second Coming The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christianity, Christian and Islam, Islamic belief that Jesus, Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his Ascension of Jesus, ascension to Heaven (Christianity), Heav ...

. All other beliefs are optional. This specifically includes the dispute regarding

free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...

and

predestination Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby Go ...

Ordination and Licensure

Like other mainline Christian denominations, the AECC has a process of theological testing, by where applicants respond to a lengthy investigation of their beliefs. The denomination wants to see how well-formed the applicant's theology is, and by what means do the applicant's beliefs find their grounding. After review, if the applicant is deemed to be orthodox and rooted in their Christian faith, the AECC chooses to offer Licensed Minister status to the new member. The member is then freed to minister in all ways shy of performing marriages. After a year of good-standing as a Licensed Minister, the AECC member may apply for Ordination status. The member must then come before the governing board of the denomination at its headquarters in Indianapolis and go through a formal face-to-face interview process at its annual conference. If the member conveys maturity and a practical theological stance for ministry in the world in the name of Jesus Christ, the member is approved for ordination. Ordination takes place in the context of worship through the laying on of hands. The denomination is unique in that it recognizes dual ordination status with most other mainline Christian denominations. The denomination is attracting members of 'Generation X' and 'Generation Y' Christians who seek professional ministerial status after having grown up in an 'nondenominational' or 'interdenominational' church culture. The AECC ordains both female and male ministers called by God for service in the world.

American Evangelical Christian University

Affiliated with the denomination is a Christian university, titled American Evangelical Christian University. The American Evangelical Christian University offers coursework intended to inform individuals' faith in Christ and upon graduation, hopes that they might "emerge as a disciple of Jesus Christ with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Christian faith."

References

AECC official website

AECC Facebook Group
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The Complete Guide to Christian Denominations
*Lewis, James R. ''The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions''. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 1998. . {{Authority control Evangelicalism in the United States Lee County, Florida Christian organizations established in 1944 Evangelical denominations in North America Christian denominations founded in the United States