First Covenant Church of Minneapolis

The church was founded in 1874 by Swedish immigrants who were seeking not only connection as they formed a new life in the American Midwest, but also a place to put faith into action by serving the poor and disenfranchised. They built hospitals, cared for the poor and underprivileged, provided educational opportunities and were driven to love and serve. First Covenant Church of Minneapolis was one of the founding congregations that formed the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) denomination in 1885, a Christian faith tradition which is rooted in the doctrine of piety. Core beliefs are expressed in this way: “Unity in essentials; freedom in secondary matters; charity in all things.”

On June 28, 2019, delegates to the national annual meeting of the ECC denomination voted to involuntarily remove FCCM after being deemed “out of harmony” because of the church’s “love all” position regarding human sexuality. FCCM offers full participation in the life of the church (including marriage) to members of the LGBTQ community. Though no longer a part of the Covenant denomination, the church retains the name “First Covenant Church of Minneapolis,” and fully embraces the freedom and charity espoused by previous generations.

Located at the corner of Seventh and Chicago in Minneapolis’ East Town area and Elliot Park neighborhood (across the street from the U.S. Bank Stadium), FCCM was originally among the first mega churches in the Twin Cities, with a seating capacity of 1,800, but enrollment steadily declined over the decades as downtown churches lost members to the suburbs. FCCM has sought to revitalize the church by embracing its downtown location and building civic partnerships in order to expand the vision for the church to be a community center and place of outreach and healing. The “Healing Block” is the partnership between the church and these organizations. The church building currently houses a 24/7 shelter for adult couples facing homelessness managed by Agate Housing and Services, and 169 units of affordable housing called East Town Apartments were built on church property in partnership with Trellis Co., a non-profit affordable housing developer, to provide affordable housing for low-income residents in the city of Minneapolis. 1st Cov’s other Healing Block partners and tenants include the Center of Excellence Preschoool and Learning Center operated by People Serving People; an outpatient intensive substance disorder abuse program operated by Refocus Recovery; and the headquarters of Trellis Management, Inc. which is the largest operator of low income housing in Minnesota.

The overlapping pandemics of Covid-19, racism and social injustice, and political vitriol during the last election cycle caused many people to leave the Church because of a deep distrust in organized religion’s response, or lack thereof, to these crises. However, there is a growing number of Christian-identifying people who are encouraging churches to reconsider issues involving inclusion and equity. That changing dynamic in the Christian faith tradition is generating a deeper dive into the example of Jesus regarding what it means to love one’s neighbor. There is a growing narrative that speaks to Jesus’ commitment to loving all, regardless of sexual, racial or gender identity. Christian congregations can indeed change, and thrive, by adopting an unwavering commitment to inclusion.