The origin of The Evangelical Church can be traced back to the Wesleyan movement in England under John Wesley, the founder of The Methodist Church. It is distinctly a North American Church, having had its beginnings in the great spiritual awakening which visited the early colonists in the new world after the middle of the eighteenth century. Like the early Methodists they preached the pure Word of God, and declared that men can be saved from sin, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and that this experience must be followed by a life of dedication and holiness.

The Evangelical Church of North America was born June 4, 1968, in Portland, Oregon, when forty-six congregations and about eighty Ministers met in an organizing session. Within two weeks a group of about twenty churches and thirty Ministers from Montana and North Dakota became a part of the new church. These congregations and Ministers had been a part of The Evangelical United Brethren Church but had declined to enter the newly formed United Methodist Church. The former Holiness Methodist Church became a part of The Evangelical Church of North America in 1969, bringing its local churches, ministry and membership, along with a flourishing mission field in Bolivia, South America. The Wesleyan Covenant Church joined in 1977, along with its missionary work in Mexico and Brownsville, Texas, and its work among the Navajo Indians in New Mexico.

Involved cooperation with recognized evangelical organizations has been a hallmark of the new denomination. These organizations include Christian Holiness Partnership, National Association of Evangelicals, World Gospel Mission, and OMS International.