The Covenant Church adheres to the affirmation of the Protestant Reformation regarding the Holy Scriptures, the Old and the New Testament, as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. It has traditionally valued the historic confessions of the Christian church, particularly the Apostles' Creed, while at the same time it has emphasized the sovereignty of the Word over creedal interpretations. It has especially cherished the pietistic restatement of the doctrine of justification by faith as basic to the dual task of evangelism and Christian nurture, the New Testament emphasis upon personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, the reality of a fellowship of believers which recognizes but transcends theological differences, and the belief in baptism and the Lord's Supper as divinely ordained sacraments of the church. While the denomination has traditionally practiced the baptism of infants, in conformity with its principle of freedom it has also recognized the practice of believer baptism. The principle of personal freedom, so highly esteemed by the Covenant, is to be distinguished from the individualism that disregards the centrality of the Word of God and the mutual responsibilities and disciplines of the spiritual community.
Our "roots" took organized form in the "Swedish Mission Church of Mankato," Blue Earth County, on July 25, 1889. Services in Swedish were held in the old Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in West Mankato and Williams Hall until 1895.
In 1891, the church became affiliated with the American Congregationalists to become the "Swedish Congregational Mission Church." In 1895, the congregation moved to North Mankato in Nicollet County "where it erected a church edifice on the corner of Belgrade Avenue and Ball Street, in a beautiful wooded area near the Minnesota River." The lot was purchased for $350.00, the building, erected mostly by church members, cost $2,261.54 and was dedicated on June 16, 1895. In the 1920's, Swedish services were still held but only once a month, and by the 1930's the President of the Covenant, at its annual meeting in Chicago, urged the congregations to change over to English. During the Golden Jubilee in 1939, the church changed its name to "Mission Covenant Church.". Then in 1942, we withdrew from the American Congregationalists and became affiliated with the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of America, Chicago and its Northwest Conference, Minneapolis. Beginning in 1958, the building plan for the "new" four-lane highway (#169 and #60) took it right through the site of the old church. As a result, the old church, with all of its memories and painting on the front wall, was to be demolished. Many unusual, uncanny circumstances made one see the hand of God in this shattering event. Who but He could have seen fit to delay Pastor Dahlberg sufficiently so he was not at the church at this accustomed hour, or that the timing of Confirmation classes was such that they were not yet in session? Or that the straight up direction of the explosion would keep the footings intact so they could be reused? And so, with renewed faith and cooperation, a second church was erected on the same footings, using basically the same architechtural plan with only minor changes. this new church which was dedicated from October 12-15, 1961. Music also grew in the form of the Choir, male quartet, soloists, instrumentalists, organists, pianists, band/orchestra, etc... An Allen Organ was installed and dedicated in February 1969, and a Baldwin Grand piano in October of 1972.
The Five C's - Covenant Christian Child Care Center - began on Sept. 28, 1971 and still serves the Christian preschool needs of children ages 3-5.
Evangelical Covenant History
The Evangelical Covenant Church of America has its roots in historical Christianity as it emerged in the Protestant Reformation, in the biblical instruction of the Lutheran State Church of Sweden, and in the great spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century. These three influences have in large measure shaped its development and are to be borne in mind in seeking to understand its distinctive spirit.
1889-1959
The Church's Beginnings
The seeds of this congregation were planted in the lay movement within the Lutheran state church of Sweden. As immigrants in the 1860's and 70's from Sweden settled in the Upper Midwest, eventually evangelical groups broke from this tradition to establish their own roots.
New Affiliation
The affiliation with the American Congregationalists continued for over 46 years. However, the pulpit was almost always filled with Swedish Mission Friends (Covenant) pastors.
Growth of the Church
The church added 1000 square feet of additional floor space in 1947, a new basement, heating equipment, kitchen, lavatory facilities, a pastor's study, nursery room, and an entrance refurbished in stucco and permastone. The church became known as "the Little Church with the Big Welcome."
1960-1979
Building Twice...The Explosion!
A new church building was completed in upper North Mankato on Carol Court by 1960. But... just after two months of use on November 12, 1960, at approximately 7:30 a.m., a propane explosion lifted the church above the treetops and the entire structure crashed in a pile of rubble!
Rebuilding Our Faith
Our congregation helped clean up the debris, plan for, worked toward and built the second church on Belgrade Hill. Offers for help came from many sources: Churches everywhere, the YMCA, where we scheduled Sunday School classes, Mankato State fraternities who helped with the clean up operations, businesses and groups presented concerts in fund-raising efforts, and so on.
All About Youth
Throughout all of this, much of the emphasis has been on youth programs and included that Fall the "Western Round-up." Further increases in Sunday School attendance spotlighted spatial needs, and preliminary work began toward a Christian education wing. By February 1968, the Christian Education Unit was completed and dedicated with Pastor Dahlberg speaking.
About Us - Our History