You'll find a warm welcome here

Whether you're new to the Bulkley Valley or a long-time resident, the Smithers Evangelical Free Church extends a warm welcome to you. 


You might be new to the Christian faith. This is a place to become rooted and grow.


Maybe you're a long-time Christian looking for a new church home. This is a place to become connected and serve.


Or perhaps you're just checking out the Christian faith. This is a place to ask honest and deep questions.


Regardless of why you've come here, we'd love to welcome you. Find out how to contact us right here.

common ground

As a community, our church's orbit centres around a few shared commitments:

  • The Bible. We love to read, share and learn from the Bible together. Through regular preaching, reading and teaching we experience growth as Christians.
  • The faith. We didn't invent the Christian faith. It's been handed down to us by faithful people who have gone before and we hold it in common with faithful people across cultures, denominations and places. With them, we are committed to historic, orthodox understanding of the Christian faith.
  • Each other. Christians were made to grow and thrive in community. At our church, we do community through public worship, prayer, encouragement, shared meals, Bible study and visiting (to name a few). 
  • Lived faith. We read and understand the Bible so that we can live it out—personally and corporately—every day.  Our faith is personal, but it's not private. We seek to apply what we've learned in all areas of our lives.

You can find out more about what we believe right here.

What's in a name?

The name 'Evangelical Free Church'  denotes a few things. In a nutshell:

  • "Evangelical" is a broad term that can mean a lot of things, and it's certainly used in a lot of ways in common parlance. In our name, we use the term as a shorthand to reflect our doctrinal beliefs and how we understand they should be lived out. We do not use the term 'evangelical' to reflect any social or political positions.
  • "Free" refers to our church's polity. Originally the term referred to the church's independence from state control when it was founded in Sweden. While our freedom from state control is still important, the term 'free' today also refers to the autonomy of each local church. We are part of the Evangelical Free Church of Canada, but the Smithers Evangelical Free Church is governed autonomously by a local board.
  • "Church" This might seem obvious, but it bears mentioning. We're not a social service club (although we do serve society), a school (although we do teach), or merely a faith group (though we are that). We're a church, and as a church we see ourselves in continuity with Christian people across denominations, places, and time. We gather under the authority of scripture with the mandate that Jesus gave to the church in the New Testament.