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 many 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
Reverend Edmund Wong
Reverend Edmund Wong is the Bukit Panjang Centre Overseer and Prayer Director. He believes that under God’s hand, Covenant EFC is destined by God to be a disciplemaking church anchored
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
Truth
We value truth and uphold the Bible as our foundation of truth and the absolute authority on which our church is built.
To be “centred on the Word of God” means that we uphold the Scriptures as the ultimate and unchanging source of divine truth. In an increasingly “post-truth” world—where even long-standing moral and spiritual foundations are being renegotiated—this core value affirms that we possess an anchor that provides stability and a compass that gives direction for every aspect and season of life.
COMMUNITY
We believe our faith is to be lived out and nurtured within a God-honouring community.
While our faith is deeply personal, it is not intended to be private. We value community based on mutual care and accountability, devoted to spiritual formation and concerned with missional pursuit. It is “centred on the Worship of God” in that community is not merely ‘horizontal’ or social in nature; while strong relational bonds are valued, community is emphatically Godward in orientation, being rooted in how He alone is the One we honour and worship.
STEWARDSHIP
We believe everything we are and possess is entrusted to us by God and is to be stewarded according to His will.
This shifts our mindset from personal ownership to being trustees, where we recognise that one day we will give an account of everything in our hands. Stewardship is “centred on the Will of God” in that His desires and purposes— not ours— determine what we do with what He has given to us. This perspective directly confronts the human default settings of selfishness, consumerism, and self-determination, leading us to a life of greater intentionality, blessed partnership with God and greater flourishing in Him.
BALANCE
We hold truth and doctrines in dynamic tension, integrating them through godly wisdom.
Instead of a binary “either/or,” we acknowledge that biblical truth often requires “both/and” thinking. This calls for us to honour scriptural paradox and hold together seeming opposites such as grace and justice, reverence and intimacy, God’s complete sovereignty alongside genuine human responsibility, and our need for roots and wings. This is “centred on the Wisdom of God” in that divine paradox and mystery cannot be reduced to neat formulae but must be approached through godly wisdom. By practicing balance, we protect our community from legalism and dogmatism, fostering a culture of maturity and unity based on humble discernment.
BROKENNESS
We recognise our sinfulness, weakness and woundedness, and embrace our utter need for God’s grace and humility.
Brokenness is to face squarely our fallenness, moral bankruptcy and helplessness apart from God. It leads us to deep repentance, authentic humility, and realisation of our sheer need for Him. This confronts our self-sufficiency and pride, keeping us from empty triumphalism. Yet brokenness does not leave us in shame, despair or desolation; rather, it positions us to become grace receivers. It is “centred on the Way of God” — the pathway of dying to self that God delights to work through to bring us true freedom, flourishing and joy.
Grace
Where we recognise that we are both grace receivers, remembering that grace accepted us and also acquired us, and also grace releasers, where we relate with others with a humble and honouring heart.
Growth
Where we ourselves, carrying a relentless desire for personal growth, apply ourselves to growth processes, and encourage growth in others through providing growth support and modelling.
Godliness
Where church is not about platforms and programmes or activity and achievement, but fundamentally about Christ being formed in us and those around us.
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 Suntec, 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.
