The story of this church includes a converging of three separate congregations established out of a variety of circumstances in the late 1970s. 

Klamath Evangelical Free Church was founded in 1975 by a small group of families who desired a distinctive Bible-teaching ministry for this community. The first services were conducted in the Executive Plaza Office Building, across from Town and Country Shopping Center. By the time the fledgling congregation called Robin Maxson to be their first pastor in 1976. they were meeting in the Y.M.C.A. (The nursery was stored each week in the back of a member's Land Rover) Two years later, Klamath E.F.C. moved to Davenport’s Chapel of the Good Shepherd on South Sixth Street. Their first building project was the construction of “The Ark” – a large wooden deck joining four mobile office units liquidated by the Weyerhauser Company. Situated on property adjacent to Davenport’s Chapel, this office/classroom complex was named “The Ark” because it was erected in standing water. The chapel was home to this church for five years.

In the mean time, Peoples Community Church, an independent congregation with Baptist roots, was begun in 1979. This evangelistic group purchased the church building at 2101 Garden Street, and developed a successful ministry to youth.

The following year, New Covenant Fellowship, a group with connections to the Nazarene movement, established a church at 357 E. Main (the current College of Cosmetology) – just down the street from Peoples. In 1984, the pastor and leaders of New Covenant invited KEFC to share their building. So by mid-1984, three small but growing churches were carrying out ministries in two facilities separated by two short blocks.

A series of circumstances opened the door to the merger of Klamath Evangelical Free Church and Peoples Community Church in September, 1985. The merged congregations became United Evangelical Free Church. Pastor Rick Sonerholm was called from the Evangelical Free Church in LaCenter, Washington, to become the church’s Associate Pastor.

In desperate need of larger facilities, United EFC purchased 13½ acres at 3333 Beverly Drive and constructed a 20,000 square foot building which was occupied in April, 1990. At Thanksgiving of that same year, the congregation of New Covenant Fellowship joined with United Evangelical Free Church as well. In subsequent years, the upstairs classrooms were added in two additional building projects.

Through these formative years, the church established a solid Bible-teaching ministry, developed an energetic ministry to youth, grew into caring community of fellowship, and began learning to apply principles to of grace to every area of life and ministry. With the consolidation of a committed membership, and the construction of permanent facilities, the church turned its attention to clarifying its mission. In 1994, a task force of leaders began attending a 3-year course in how to develop a disciple-making church, conducted by Training Network of the EFCA. Out of that training came the principles, philosophy, strategies, and structures that have guided our ministry to the present time.

The mission of United Evangelical Free Church is “to reach the unsaved, and equip and deploy transformed Christians through whom Jesus Christ can effectively make himself known to our world.” This emphasis on disciple-making has become the integrating focus for all of the church’s varied ministries to children, youth, and adults.