Who we are
Beyond a local neighbourhood church, Covenant EFC is a called and missional community of believers. What started out as a promise of the Lord to Covenant EFC many years ago, in the 80’s through the verse Isaiah 60:22, has not only become reality, but has now become Covenant EFC’s impetus for missional growth as an intentional disciplemaking church and movement.
We believe that disciplemaking is the core mission of the Church. As a spiritual family, we spur on one another in our walk with Christ. We discover and use our spiritual gifts to serve and build our community, so that together, we may glorify God and live out our mission to win the world for Christ
Covenant EFC is a family consisting of three worship centres, a central equipping and corporate centre, New Life Community Services (a mid-size charity with IPC status), a regional Missions organisation, and the Global Alliance of Intentional Disciple Making Churches.
Mission
Returning the Church to its disciplemaking roots through authentic discipleship and intentional disciplemaking so as to reproduce disciples of a certain kind and to multiply them to win the world for Christ!
** A certain kind is a Christ-mastered kind with depth in grace, growth, and godliness who seeks God’s empowering
to fulfil God’s will in God’s timing, for God’s glory.
Vision
To build an IDMC model so as to launch an IDMC movement so as to catalyse a multiplication of Intentional disciplemaking Churches to fulfill the Great Commission Mandate.
God has given us a vision to not merely make disciples but to disciple the nations – a local church with a global impact. Beyond building an IDMC in Covenant EFC, we are called to spearhead and catalyse an IDMC movement across the world.
The greatest need of the world is hope. This hope is found in the Gospel of Christ. The appointed carrier of the Gospel is the Church. The greatest need of the Church is leadership; and the most strategic way to develop leaders is through intentional mentoring! This mentoring legacy is Covenant’s distinctive as captured by our church slogan:
Authentic Discipleship.
Intentional Disciplemaking.
Meet our Leaders
Reverend Tony Yeo
Reverend Tony Yeo is the Senior Pastor of Covenant Evangelical Free Church. His passion for leadership development through disciplemaking and mentoring is witnessed in the 31 years of his faithful
Reverend Tan Kay Kiong
Reverend Tan Kay Kiong is the Senior Pastor of Covenant Evangelical Free Church. He is a Shepherd-Leader at heart who loves to see people discover their full potential in God.
Reverend Dr Chua Chung Kai
Reverend Doctor Chua Chung Kai is Associate Pastor of Covenant Evangelical Free Church (Covenant EFC). He serves in the Senior Pastor’s Office, currently directing the Generations ministries.
Reverend Matthew Lo
Reverend Matthew Lo is the East Centre Overseer and Worship Director. At age 15, while listening to a radio documentary on homeless youth, the Lord called Him to work among
Elder Liu Hock Choy
Elder Liu Hock Choy is the Director of Operations in Covenant Evangelical Free Church (Covenant EFC). He serves in the Senior Pastor’s Office and oversees the operational functions of the
Elder Johnny Tan
Elder Johnny Tan retired from the Singapore Armed Forces and answered God’s call in his life to join the Covenant EFC staff team as Missions Director in April 2015. He
GLOBAL
ALLIANCE
The Global Alliance of Intentional Disciple Making Churches, GA in short, is born out of Covenant’s distinctive calling and vision to play a part in returning the Church to her disciple-making roots. God is a global God, and His Church is a global Church. GA is Covenant’s global IDMC missions work and contribution to the global kingdom of God.
Global Alliance
NEW LIFE
COMMUNITY SERVICES
New Life was birthed out of Covenant’s burden, desire and vision to not merely be situated in a local neighbourhood, but to in and a part of the neighbourhood as a vitally contributing and serving neighbour open to all in the local community. As such, New Life Community Services is Covenant’s present and active face and hands wherever Covenant is located in and beyond.
New Life Community Services
Our Values
Grace
is the very basis of our being. We are here because of the grace of God. Two things can be said: Grace must first be received before we can give it. Only when we have received grace, are we able to give grace. When we recognise our own brokenness and how the Lord still graciously pours His love upon our lives – we grow to be gracious people.
Growth
is an outcome of grace. True grace does not lead us to lethargy nor indulgence, rather to diligent growth. God’s grace in our lives allows us to be ourselves and even more than ourselves. It is stewarding our lives in such a way that we mature towards all that our Lord intends us to be.
Godliness
is what we aspire to be. To be godly means to live our lives with reference to God – where God becomes the centre of all we are and what we do; and with deference to God – where we choose His will and His direction over our preference.
Truth
We believe the most important world that we live in is the unseen world – and the most precious commodity in the unseen world is truth. This truth is revealed in the Word of God. Thus, we are committed to the Bible as the inspired, inerrant and infallible Word of God, and as the sole authority governing our lives.
Community
We believe that true biblical community begins when we relate rightly with God and with each other. While reality does not depend on human constructs, our perception of reality is often influenced by our surroundings. Hence, life change best happens within the context of small group community.
STEWARDSHIP
We believe that we are primarily not owners but stewards, and our resources are to be stewarded in context of God’s calling for us. This stewardship is two-fold – the stewardship of the Gospel and the stewardship of our resources.
Balance
We believe that we must ride the tensions of life’s complexities with compassion and discerning wisdom. This wisdom comes from above. Thus, in a world prone to extremes, we seek a biblical balance.
BrokenNess
We value brokenness as a church. We heed Jesus’ call to a discipleship of humility, brokenness and surrender. The way of the Cross is to follow the way of dying to ourselves, denying our rights, and of absolute surrender to the will of God.
Our Journey
Emmanuel Christian Fellowship started with just 17 members in 1978, the smallest of the Evangelical Free Church (EFC) churches. Without a building to call our own, we worshipped in theatres, restaurants and even members’ homes.
Despite having to move from place to place, our numbers grew. In 1992, we were renamed Covenant Evangelical Free Church as a reflection of God’s promise of salvation.
Today, by God’s grace, we are the largest EFC church in Singapore. Every week, we welcome 6,000 members and visitors at our three Centres at Bukit Panjang, Woodlands and Changi, and via our online services. A testament to God’s faithfulness, Bukit Panjang and Woodlands Centres were realised through our members’ contributions and without bank loans.
In 2001, we had our first IDMC Conferences, which continues to attract delegates from over 20 countries. Answering God’s call to leave behind a disciplemaking legacy, Rev Edmund Chan launched the global alliance of IDMC in 2008, comprising like-minded churches committed to making disciples of all nations.
