Who We Are

Tl;dr

Evergreen Ekklesia—or, Evergreen for short—is a Spirit-filled, Christ-centered gathering of believers committed to spiritual maturity, radical belonging, and the transformation of ourselves and our city.

What’s Church?

The Big “C” Church exists to embody the life and ministry of Jesus as a tangible and living expression of the new creation life and his ministry of reconciliation. The Church is not merely a hospital or a classroom, though healing and education ideally take place there. The Church is much more than that. Before it’s an organization or an institution, the Church is the mystical body of Christ established by and in a restored relationship with God. The Church is the experiential manifestation of the new heavens and the new earth in the here and now, and is the physical body—the hands and feet—of Jesus on Earth. The Church is the City of God among the cities of men.

So what?

In light of the above reality, Evergreen endeavors to be a family of believers empowered by the Spirit, enveloped in the love of humanity’s heavenly Father, and rooted in the historic creeds of the ancient and enduring Church. We are formed and are being formed into the likeness of Christ for the sake of our family, friends, and neighbors.

Evergreen draws deeply from the richness of the early Church while embracing the power and presence of God’s Holy Spirit for today. Our leadership seeks to reflect the culture of the Kingdom; not an ego-centric hierarchy, but a family, which means our culture is open, welcoming, and deeply relational. Everyone has a seat at the table. Everyone is invited to love and be loved, to grow and be grown, to serve and be served, and to become more like our Father in heaven.

Our desire is not merely to gather as believers, but to present everyone mature in Christ. We long to see neighborhoods renewed, family and civic systems healed, and people made healthy and whole. We partner with other churches, local leaders, and civic institutions to bring about measurable and lasting change in our city.

Why are we called “Evergreen?”

We are called Evergreen because in God’s economy, there is no fall or winter—only life, provision, and continual fruitfulness. In Christ, life never goes dormant. The trees in God’s Garden bear fruit every month (Psalm 1:1-3; Jeremiah 17:7-8; Ezekiel 47:12; Revelation 22:1-2). That is our story. That is our future. That is God’s invitation to you.

What’s an “ekklesia?”

Ekklesia (pronounced ek-lay-SEE-uh) is the Greek word used for church in the New Testament. Originally used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) to refer to God’s people (aka Israel, but not the political nation), ekklesia literally means “the called-out ones.” More simply, ekklesia is a community of people summoned by God for relationship and mission. In the first century, ekklesia came to describe the Spirit-formed community of Jesus followers, called out to represent His Kingdom in every corner of creation.