History of UEC

History of U.E.C.
	The vision and ministry of United Evangelical Churches was birthed in 1958, in the midst of a world-wide outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit upon ministers and churches of all denominations. Two men, the late Dr. Merrill H. Eve and Charles J. Hardin, recognized that this outpouring created a need for a non-competitive ministerial fellowship (not a new denomination) which could unite evangelical churches, bring ministers and ministries together in fellowship and unity of heart, break down the walls of sectarianism which divided God’s people, and provide spiritual covering for thousands of ministers who could no longer maintain credentials in their historic denominations as a direct result of what God was doing in their lives. U.E.C. was conceived and founded as a loose-knit ministerial fellowship to meet these specific needs and scores of hungry, sincere hearts somehow found their way to the door of this fledgling ministry in those early years.
	By the time United Evangelical Churches was fully incorporated as a non-profit religious organization (in the State of California in 1964) its membership already encompassed a broad spectrum of ministries from numerous main-line Christian denominations. Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Pentecostals, Independents and many others were working together in a spirit of true Christian brotherhood. One of U.E.C.’s primary goals had become a reality; the establishment of a transdenominational fellowship which would bridge sectarian boundaries and release brethren of diverse theological backgrounds to work together in love, without placing undue restriction on their calling and ministry. These men and women did not focus on their minor differences in doctrine, method or cultural background; instead, they united in their commonly held, major evangelical beliefs and discovered greater understanding and appreciation for the Body of Christ as a whole. The result was a synergistic union of evangelicals, each benefiting from the other’s knowledge, experience, gifts, calling and talents.
	The “group” tax exempt status granted by the State and the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization gave members and ministries the covering and freedom needed to concentrate their energies on ministry, leaving the burden of red-tape and governmental paperwork to U.E.C.
	The vision of U.E.C. has broadened through the years and new services and outreaches have emerged. Christians United In Action (C.U.A.) now undergirds missionary efforts on a global scale; Evangelical Bible Institute (E.B.I.) assists in the theological and practical education of ministers through a wide range of correspondence courses and periodic seminars placed strategically throughout the U.S. and Canada; and, The International Fellowship of the Clergy (I.F.C.) links U.E.C. members with thousands of evangelical ministries worldwide.
	U.E.C. has truly enjoyed the divine favor of God over the years. Without exaggeration, its outreaches have impacted tens of thousands of believers, not only in North America, but in more than 70 nations of the world. “. . . This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Matt. 21:42b).
	Not content to rest on a plateau of past blessings, U.E.C. continuously endeavors to augment the effectiveness of its members and affiliated ministries by implementing new opportunities for service and developing innovative ministry tools.
	Today the vision still burns brightly! God has commissioned U.E.C. to help unite and strengthen the Church, the Body of Christ, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13).

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