Chicago International Evangelical Free Church — Church Directory

Quick Facts

Pastor — the shepherd God holds accountable Pastor Del Shimandle (since July 2024)

Founded Verify

Denomination EFCA

Service Times Sunday mornings — check website for times

Men's Ministry No

Kids Ministry Yes

Website churches.efca.org/?id=12936

Pastor Credentials Verified via church website

10-Point Theological Scorecard

Christology

Is Jesus the only way? (John 14:6)

EFCA SOF — orthodox Trinitarian.

Strong

Scripture

Inerrancy affirmed? Final authority?

EFCA SOF: 'Scripture is God-breathed and is inerrant in the autographs' — explicit inerrancy.

Strong

Men's Discipleship

Intentional formation for men?

Not detailed on public pages.

Caution

Soteriology

Faith alone? How is salvation presented?

EFCA SOF — grace through faith alone; substitutionary atonement.

Strong

Gender / Biblical Design

Biblical manhood and womanhood by God's design — patriarchal, complementarian, egalitarian, or affirming gender ideology?

EFCA officially permits BOTH complementarian and egalitarian positions (EFCA 'significance of silence' on this question); local congregation determines. Chicago urban context may lean egalitarian — verify.

Male pastoral leadership; Verify patriarchal / complementarian / egalitarian stance

Caution

Leadership Structure

Male elders/pastors? Accountability?

Pastor Del Shimandle began July 2024; EFCA congregational polity with elder plurality typical.

Strong

Preaching Style

Expository or topical/therapeutic?

EFCA tradition expository.

Strong

Mission Clarity

Great Commission central?

'Show and speak the Gospel to people from all nations and backgrounds' — clear missional focus.

Strong

Cultural Alignment

DEI/CRT language? Social justice crowding out gospel?

Gospel-centered, multi-national Chicago Bridgeport neighborhood context; no CRT found on loaded pages.

Strong

Accountability Structure

Denominational home, elder plurality, or external network — is the pastor answerable to anyone?

EFCA — confessional-adjacent evangelical denomination with accountability.

Strong

Assessment

Chicago International EFC is an EFCA congregation in Chicago, IL. Evangelical Free theological convictions in an urban multicultural context.

#efca#chicago#urban

MOOP Engagement Tracker

How this church was personally verified by the MOOP directory team:

✓ Researched church website

Sources & Evidence

These are the URLs consulted to arrive at this church's scoring. Score-note claims are synthesized from homepage content, denominational directories, and public statements of faith at the time of review. Church websites change frequently; we're progressively adding Internet Archive snapshots to prevent link rot.

[1] Live source ciefc.org
[2] Live source icefc.church/who-we-are/

Transparency note: MOOP ratings are researcher judgments about publicly available theological and ecclesial evidence. They are not infallible. If a church's public posture has changed since our review, or if we've mis-read evidence, tell us — we publish corrections.