The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada

What The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada does

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada (ECCC, operating as "Canada Covenant") is a Canadian Christian denomination founded in 1904/1906, headquartered in Strathmore, Alberta, and affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) in the United States. It operates through 11 regional conferences and serves member churches, ordained and licensed pastors, ministry leaders, theological students, and global mission partners across Canada and in over 20 countries worldwide. Its core activities include church planting, pastoral credentialing and endorsement through the Memberium, leadership development through cohorts and the Canada Covenant Internship Grant Program, global mission personnel placement via Serve Globally, and discipleship formation through affiliated camps and the CBC Legacy Scholarship program (a legacy of the now-closed Covenant Bible College, 1941–2007).

The organization's product and service portfolio includes: the Memberium credentialing and benefits system (with group RRSP/insurance administered via Manulife/Life Inc.), the 14-week Canada Covenant Internship Grant Program (approximately $1,000 per intern per month), learning cohorts in Anti-Racism, Biblical Justice, and Discipleship, the Neil Josephson Leadership Award (up to $2,000 annually), $500 CBC Legacy Scholarships disbursed through the Trellis Foundation, retreats and spiritual direction, Lenten Readers devotional content, and Serve Globally partnerships with personnel serving in Argentina, Ecuador, Haiti, Congo, MENA, Korea, and the UK. Its technology footprint is limited to a Squarespace website (covchurch.ca) supporting a church finder, donation processing, event calendar, and employment board — no proprietary AI or platform technology is disclosed.

ECCC is a registered Canadian charity (#118781699RR0001) generating revenue exclusively through charitable donations (CanadaHelps, Interac eTransfer, stock, estate, mail), with no commercial pricing models and no publicly disclosed financial figures. Distribution occurs through the denominational network structure (regional conferences and a Leadership Board chaired by Jenell Pluim), currently under the leadership of President/Superintendent Rob Peterson (elected May 2025, succeeding Glenn Peterson who transitioned to the parent ECC). Three affiliated operating subsidiaries — Kootenay Covenant Bible Camp, Covenant Bay Bible Camp, and Covenant Heights Bible Camp — plus the Trellis Foundation extend its disciple-making footprint.

Name

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada

Legal name

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada

Website

https://covchurch.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada is a Canadian Christian denomination operating through 11 regional conferences to plant and strengthen churches and credential, train, and support pastors and ministry leaders across Canada and globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Denomination Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Church planting support
• Pastoral credentialing services
• Leadership development programs
• Global mission partnerships
• Discipleship formation

Headquarters

HQ city

Strathmore

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada (Canada Covenant) is a Christian denomination that starts and strengthens churches and supports pastors and leaders across Canada. Its core offerings include church planting support, pastoral credentialing through the Ministerium, leadership development via the Internship Grant Program and learning cohorts, global mission deployment through Serve Globally, the CBC Legacy Scholarship program, the Neil Josephson Leadership Award, and administrative services such as group benefits and donation processing for member churches and affiliated ministries.

Product overview

The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada (Canada Covenant) offers a portfolio of ministry support services including the CBC Legacy Scholarship program for theological students, the Ministerium credentialing system for vocational pastors, and the 14-week Canada Covenant Internship Grant Program for developing future pastoral leaders. Additional offerings include Learning Experiences through cohorts, workshops, webinars, and coaching; Church Planting initiatives; and Serve Globally global missions with personnel and regional partners in Argentina, Ecuador, Haiti, Congo, MENA, Korea, Alaska, and UK. The organization also facilitates the Neil Josephson Leadership Award for congregations, operates a job postings board for pastoral positions, provides CBC transcript services, publishes Lenten Readers devotional content, and processes donations through multiple channels including CanadaHelps and PayPal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CBC Legacy Scholarships: Scholarship program of $500 for students enrolled in theological, biblical, or discipleship programs, established as a legacy of Covenant Bible College
• Neil Josephson Leadership Award
• Canada Covenant Internship Grant Program

Products and services

• Church Planting A ministry strategy of starting new Covenant churches in Canadian communities to reach young people, engage multiethnic populations, and develop vibrant local congregations. The program supports church planters with training, coaching, and resources through the national office.
• Ministerium (Pastoral Credentialing) Credentialing process for vocational ministry within the ECCC, including ordination endorsement, ministerium dues, clergy residence tax deduction support, retreat policies, and group insurance/RRSP benefits administered through Manulife.
• Canada Covenant Internship Grant Program A 14-week program providing churches with programmatic and financial support to identify, invest in, and supervise ministry interns, providing approximately $1,000 per intern per month in grant funding. Participants receive hands-on experience, focused training, discernment, and mentorship in pastoral ministry.
• Learning Experiences Cohorts focused on Anti-Racism, Biblical Justice, and Discipleship, along with workshops and webinars on advocacy for victims of abuse, church vitality, governance, kids and youth ministry. Includes coaching and spiritual direction services for pastors, ministry leaders, and churches.
• Serve Globally Global engagement program through partnerships, personnel placement, vision trips, and relief/restoration initiatives, with ECCC global personnel serving in Argentina, Alaska, United Kingdom, MENA, and Northeast Asia.
• Global Partners Program Regional partnerships including Covenant Kids Congo, Ecuador, Haiti, Kernels of Hope, and MENA (Middle East/North Africa) focused on culturally relevant evangelism, formation of disciple communities, leadership equipping, and transformational ministry.
• CBC Legacy Scholarships Scholarships of $500 per student for those enrolled in theological, biblical, or discipleship programs, administered by the ECCC through the Trellis Foundation as a legacy of Covenant Bible College.
• Neil Josephson Leadership Award Annual award of up to $2,000 for congregations or ECCC-related ministries seeking to intentionally develop deeper leadership within their ministry, established in 2008.
• Lenten Readers Annual Lenten devotional companion providing daily reflections for the Lenten season, available in online, booklet, and large print versions, with contributions from Covenant pastors and leaders.
• Donation and Giving Services Multiple charitable giving options including online donations via CanadaHelps, Interac eTransfer, stock donations, real estate and estate giving, and mailed cheques, under Canadian Charitable Registration #118781699RR0001.
• CBC Transcripts Service Transcript request service for former Covenant Bible College students, available at $5 per transcript.
• Employment Opportunities Board Online job postings board listing pastoral positions at Canadian Covenant churches, camps, and partner organizations, including Bi-Vocational Part-Time Pastor, Senior Pastor roles, and other ministry positions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Churches planted in New Market ON, Richmond Hill ON, Mississauga ON, and Langley BC in recent years
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trellis FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007The Trellis Foundation is a legacy of Covenant Bible College (CBC), established after CBC's closure in 2007. Endowment funds from the sale of CBC properties were invested through the Trellis Foundation to continue CBC's mission of equipping disciples of Jesus Christ. Trellis disburses grants for discipleship initiatives to qualified Canadian Covenant charitable organizations (churches, camps, and other organizations). The ECCC and Trellis jointly administer the CBC Legacy Scholarships ($500 per student).
• World Vision CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Vision Canada is a partner in the Covenant Kids Congo initiative, a global child sponsorship and development program within the ECCC's Serve Globally portfolio. This partnership combines World Vision's operational infrastructure with the ECCC's relational network to support children and communities in the Congo.
• The Evangelical Covenant Church (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECCC is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ECC's Serve Globally mission priority deploys global personnel serving in over 20 countries. The ECC President (Tammy Swanson-Draheim) acts as an advisor in the ECCC's President/Superintendent search process. ECC national meetings (annual conference) serve as installation venues for Canadian leadership. The ECC also provides seminary education through North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago.
• Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECCC is a member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC), a network of Christian organizations providing resources, advocacy, and best-practice guidance for Canadian Christian charities and non-profits.
• The Evangelical Fellowship of CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECCC is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, a collaborative forum for Canadian evangelical organizations to engage on shared public policy, religious freedom, and social issues.
• Tearfund CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTearfund Canada is the humanitarian partner for the ECCC's Kernels of Hope initiative (connecting Canadian farmers to global hunger relief) and for emergency relief efforts (e.g., Gaza humanitarian aid). Through Tearfund, food and emergency supplies are distributed to households in crisis zones. The ECCC directs donors to Tearfund Canada's Emergency Relief Fund.
• Global Regional Partners (Haiti, Ecuador, MENA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ECCC maintains active Serve Globally partnerships in Haiti, Ecuador, and the MENA region (Middle East/North Africa). These partnerships focus on culturally relevant evangelism, formation of disciple communities, leadership equipping, and transformational ministries addressing spiritual, social, emotional, mental, physical, and justice needs.
• Youth With A Mission (YWAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYWAM Ships Kona is one of the institutions where CBC Legacy Scholarship recipients study. The partnership provides theological education pathways for ECCC-affiliated students.
• Briercrest College and SeminaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBriercrest College and Seminary (Briarcrest) in Saskatchewan is an institution attended by CBC Legacy Scholarship recipients and is a partner in providing theological education pathways for Covenant students.
• Providence University CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvidence University College in Manitoba is an institution attended by CBC Legacy Scholarship recipients, providing theological and biblical education for ECCC-affiliated students.
• Prairie CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrairie College in Alberta is an institution attended by CBC Legacy Scholarship recipients, offering biblical and theological programs for Covenant students.
• Kootenay Covenant Bible CampcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKootenay Covenant Bible Camp (KCBC) at Kootenay Lake, BC, is an affiliated Christian camp and ministry of the ECCC. Camps are described as a crucial part of how the ECCC makes and deepens disciples, particularly for youth and young adults.
• Covenant Bay Bible CampcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovenant Bay Bible Camp at Pigeon Lake, AB, is an affiliated Christian camp and ministry of the ECCC. Camps are a crucial part of the ECCC's disciple-making and deepening strategy, especially for youth.
• Covenant Heights Bible CampcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovenant Heights Bible Camp at Clear Lake, MB, is an affiliated Christian camp and ministry of the ECCC. Camps play a crucial role in youth discipleship within the Covenant network.
• Reah InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReah International is the organization through which Jamie Kim, ECCC global personnel serving in Northeast Asia (Korea), conducts his ministry of teaching, training, mobilizing, and uniting.
• North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, affiliated with the ECC, offers seminary education accessible to ECCC pastors and leaders. ECCC leadership has expressed interest in developing partnerships with Canadian seminaries to train the next generation of Canadian Covenant pastors, while NPTS currently serves this function through its faculty connection with ECCC leadership (e.g., Rob Peterson served as assistant faculty at NPTS).
• Iglesia del Pacto Evangélico Argentina (IPEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Evangelical Covenant Church of Argentina (IPEA) consists of several Covenant churches and is the primary partner for ECCC global personnel (Colleen Nahnychuk) serving in Argentina. ECCC personnel work under the direction of IPEA's President, utilizing the Covenant's Pathway to Vitality materials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mennonite Church Canada: A Canadian Anabaptist denomination operating through regional conferences with parallel pastoral credentialing, camp ministries, and congregational support services. Structurally analogous to ECCC.
• Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada: A similarly sized Canadian evangelical denomination focused on church planting, missionary sending, and pastoral credentialing. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and operational structure to ECCC.
• The Presbyterian Church in Canada: A mainstream Canadian Reformed/evangelical denomination with regional presbytery structures, pastoral credentialing, and member-church services comparable in structure and scope to ECCC's conference model.
• Free Methodist Church in Canada: A smaller Canadian evangelical denomination with comparable church planting, credentialing, and conference-based governance. Operates as a parallel mid-size network serving similar congregational and pastoral needs.
• The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada: A larger Canadian Pentecostal denomination with parallel programs in credentialing, global missions, Bible colleges, camps, and church planting across Canada. Operates a similar denominational services stack to ECCC at greater scale.
• Canadian Baptist Ministries: Canadian evangelical/congressional Baptist body coordinating church planting, global mission partnerships, and leadership development across Canada. Comparable denomination model with member-church support structure.
• The Evangelical Covenant Church (USA): The U.S. counterpart of ECCC, sharing the same name, theology, governance, and global mission network. The two are formally affiliated and exchange resources including North Park Theological Seminary access and Serve Globally personnel.

Broad incumbents

• The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada: The pan-Canadian umbrella organization of which ECCC is itself a member; offers broader advocacy, religious-freedom, and public-policy engagement across all Canadian evangelical denominations, sitting one level above ECCC's denomination-specific work.
• The Anglican Church of Canada: A large established Canadian denomination with overlapping functions in credentialing, camps, global mission, and congregational development, but operating at significantly greater scale and with a different theological tradition than ECCC.
• The United Church of Canada: Canada's largest mainline Protestant denomination with the broadest portfolio of congregational services, theological education, camps, and global partnerships; a benchmark for what scaled Canadian denominational operations look like, though substantially larger and theologically distinct from ECCC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/covchurchCanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada