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Congregations

Join ECO As A Congregation

Individual presbytery’s policies on dismissal are structured differently. Early in your discernment process, consult your presbytery’s particular policy to determine when to begin conversations with your presbytery’s leadership.

Objectives of the Application Process:

  • Ensure all ordained officers will receive, adopt, and be bound by the Essential Tenets and agree to ECO’s moral standards

  • Ensure that a thorough process does not distract congregations and their leaders from their primary call: to make disciples of Jesus Christ

  • Ensure congregations understand and embrace the missional vision of ECO

Congregational Application Process:

  1. Request an ECO application packet via email from records@eco-pres.org.
  2. Study the values, theology, and polity of ECO to discern if ECO is an appropriate denominational home.
  3. Complete and return the application via email to records@eco-pres.org.
  4. Alternatively, mail to: ECO Office, 400 E. Las Colinas Blvd Ste #900, Irving, TX 75039.
  5. Conduct in-depth session discussions around the Narrative questions in the packet.
  6. Session and staff representatives meet with an ECO liaison to review the application and answer questions.
  7. Members of the ECO Commission on Assimilation meet with the session.
  8. Session recommends dismissal to ECO.
  9. Your application is submitted to the ECO Board for approval.
  10. Sign contracts for health and retirement benefits plans (starting the 60-day eligibility period).
  11. Congregation votes to request dismissal from the prior denomination in order to join ECO.

General Support:

ECO is committed to maintaining low administrative costs and only requiring 1% of a congregation’s annual budgeted expenses toward local and national ECO support. This is ordinarily less than congregations are contributing in other denominations. General Support funds will resource foundational costs associated with ECO, as well as any of the special areas noted below. If you would like to give toward this effort, on our donation site, designate your gifts toward “General Support.”