Southeast Conference logo: figures holding hands beneath a map of the Southeast, est. 1963 Southeast Conference Evangelical Covenant Church

Serving the Southeast since 1963

Growing stronger together.

We are a family of Covenant churches in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Together we start new churches, strengthen the ones we have, and welcome others into our family.

Conference members gathered before a stained-glass cross window

Who we are

Small towns. Big cities. One Covenant family.

The Southeast Conference is a regional conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a church family founded in 1885 that now spans many cultures and five continents. Our churches meet in small towns and big cities, in wealthy communities and struggling neighborhoods.

Women and men, young and old, married and single are called and gifted leaders in our churches.

We envision living into the kingdom of God through a prayerful, intergenerational, multiethnic, growing movement of churches, following in the way of Jesus by loving others as Jesus loves us.

This is the SEC: two minutes with our conference family.

Find a Church

Diverse Congregations, serving One Lord, Jesus Christ.

Twenty-four churches and one church plant across five states, every one listed below. Click a church's name for service times and directions.

Alabama

2 churches

Florida

13 churches

Georgia

4 churches · 1 church plant

Mississippi

1 church

Don't see a church near you? We're starting new churches across the Southeast, including South Carolina. Learn about SEC Church Planting, or write to us.

Stories

God is at work across the Southeast

Glimpses from our churches: worship, service, and new beginnings across six states.

Rev. Mark Tao speaking beneath a screen that reads Growing

Conference Expansion · July 2026

Praying new churches into all six states

Pastors and members from across the conference gathered to dream about where God is leading next, praying over cities in all six states. Fueled by our SEC 150 campaign, the strategy is simple: plant, partner, parent, and adopt. Join us in praying.

Learn about church planting →

SEC members gathered together at the Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting Celebration

Our conference Covenant church family in one room

Church delegates from our six states gather to worship, pray, learn, and celebrate! We encourage our Covenant churches to join the fun as the conference gathers as one Covenant family each year!

Illustration of a simple church website in a browser window, at the address yourchurch.org

For our churches

Need a website? We can help.

Is your church one of the ones without a website? The conference wants to help you be findable online. Tell us about your church and we'll reach out.

Events

Gather, learn, and serve with us.

Groups, gatherings, and training. Each event links straight to its registration form.

Monthly

SEC Prayer Time

A monthly hour of prayer with people from across our six states.

Ongoing

A Sacred Space: Group Spiritual Direction

Small groups that meet with a trained guide to slow down, pray, and listen for God.

"Grateful for this community and the reminder that we can use additional resources to hear from and experience the Holy Spirit at work in us."— Group Spiritual Direction participant

Register by Sep 8

Missional Vitality Congregational Cohort

A year of guided workshops where your church's three-person team works out, together, what God is calling your church to do next. Registration has been extended to Tuesday, September 8.

10-month group

Creating a Culture of Generosity

A 10-month online journey helping church members and leaders share their church's vision and inspire every generation to give generously and join the mission.

"The idea of needing different methods to reach all of the generations in our church has been very helpful. To think about what each generation is desiring and how we can use them to tell our story."— Creating a Culture of Generosity participant

Training

Equip SEC

Practical training for church leaders and volunteers, from ministry skills to the practical details of running a church well.

"There were many highlights. One of the main ones for me was learning the difference between the IRS forms that need to be given when a donation is contributed, and who counts as a contractor versus an employee."— Church officer training participant

Apr 23–24, 2027

SEC Annual Meeting Celebration · Savannah, Georgia

Once a year, our whole church family gathers to worship, do business, and celebrate. Join us for the 64th Annual Meeting Celebration in Savannah, home of our church plant, Radiant Church.

Jul 18–23, 2027

Unite 2027 · Lincoln, Nebraska

The Covenant's youth conference, for students entering 9th grade through graduating seniors. Churches register as groups, and registration is open now.

Conference calendar

Every date, always current. This is our live conference calendar. You can also add it to your own Google Calendar.

A full room of participants at an SEC training session, listening to a presenter beside a projection screen
Leaders from across the conference gather at the SEC Annual Meeting Celebration.

This month

Prayer Calendar: August 2026

Each day this month, we pray for one of our churches, leaders, or ministries. Find today's date and pray with us.

See the day-by-day list
  1. 1 Bay Indies Evangelical Church
  2. 2 Kingdom Covenant Ministries
  3. 3 SEC Hosted Cohorts
  4. 4 Safety Harbor Community Church
  5. 5 Trailer Estates Covenant Church
  6. 6 Greenwood Community Covenant Church
  7. 7 Venice Isles Evangelical Covenant Church
  8. 8 International Covenant Church
  9. 9 Community Covenant Spanish Lakes Church
  10. 10 New Life Covenant Church
  11. 11 Trinity World Christian Center
  12. 12 Bridge to Grace Covenant
  13. 13 Walk of Faith Covenant Church
  14. 14 Kallam Grove Christian Church
  15. 15 Tri-Par Covenant Church
  16. 16 Mt Bethel Covenant Church
  17. 17 First Covenant Church
  18. 18 Key Largo Community Church
  19. 19 Central Carolina Community Church
  20. 20 Silverhill Covenant Church
  21. 21 Rock Harbor Community Church
  22. 22 Evens & Karina Paul in Haiti
  23. 23 Visitors to SEC churches
  24. 24 Trinity Church
  25. 25 SEC Church Plants
  26. 26 Excel Church
  27. 27 GraceSpring Church
  28. 28 First Covenant Church
  29. 29 SEC 150 Campaign
  30. 30 SEC Staff
  31. 31 SEC Superintendent

Ministries

How we serve churches and leaders.

Covenant-wide partnership

One Covenant Community

A Covenant-wide effort, led by North Park Theological Seminary, to raise up, train, and support healthy pastors and leaders for the whole church. The Southeast Conference is a partner.

Learn more
For congregations

Missional Vitality

We help your church take an honest look at where it is and plan its next season of ministry.

Learn more
For planters & supporters

Church Planting

We start new Covenant churches across the Southeast.

Learn more
For those called to ministry

Theological Education

Classes and training for people preparing to serve as pastors and ministers.

Learn more
For pastors & leaders

Spiritual Directors

Trained listeners who help pastors and leaders pay attention to God.

Learn more
For pastors & leaders

SEC Coaches

One-on-one coaching for pastors and ministry leaders.

Learn more
For credentialed ministers

Ministerial Association

Friendship, support, and accountability for ordained and licensed pastors.

Learn more
For lay leaders

Local Church Leaders

Support for the volunteers who lead their churches week after week.

Learn more
Two worship leaders singing together as the congregation stands in worship

Give

Generosity flows from worship.

Giving here isn't a transaction. It's gratitude in action: starting churches, training leaders, and showing up when storms strike our neighbors. Choose the fund that matches your heart.

SEC Generosity Team

A team of givers who fuel our shared mission, starting at a dollar a day. The team also supports Covenant mission work in Haiti. We invite you to join us in financing ministry that is changing lives.

$365a year
Team Member A dollar a day
$3,000to $4,999 a year
Superintendent's Circle Sustaining the mission
$5,000to $9,999 a year
Vision Circle Expanding the vision
$10,000+a year
Inner Circle Our top givers

Join the team

SEC 150 Matching Campaign

Every gift to this campaign is matched, so it counts twice. It fuels the next three to four new Covenant churches across our six states.

Give now

Church Giving

For churches sending their yearly support to the conference.

Give now

Unite 2027

Help send students from our churches to Unite, the Covenant's youth conference, July 18–23, 2027 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Your gift makes the trip possible for students who couldn't otherwise go.

Give now

Disaster Relief

Fast help when hurricanes, storms, and crises hit our communities.

Give now
← About the SEC

About

A greeting from our Superintendent

A welcome from Rev. Dr. Catherine Gilliard, Superintendent of the Southeast Conference.

God is doing something new across the Southeast. Our vision is simple and bold: thriving Covenant churches in each of our six states, and we are watching it take shape.

Through our SEC 150 campaign, our churches are joining a four-part strategy: planting new churches, partnering with existing ones, parenting new congregations, and adopting churches into our family. We are praying over cities in all six states, and some of those conversations are happening right now.

Whether you are new to the Covenant or have called it home for decades, there is a place for you here. Join us in prayer, and come grow stronger together with us.

In anticipation of miracles,

Rev. Dr. Catherine Gilliard, SEC Superintendent

More about the SEC →

← About the SEC

About

Six decades of growing stronger

The Southeast Conference story begins before the conference itself, with immigrant families, home Bible studies, and small congregations that reached out to start others.

  • 1902Swedish immigrants form Silverhill Covenant Church in Silverhill, Alabama: the first Covenant church in the Southeast, still a vital ministry today.
  • 1928Families meeting in Miami-area homes form Bethany Covenant Church.
  • 1941First Covenant Church of Vero Beach organizes, and soon gives $1,000 to help a Lutheran congregation get started in Palm Beach.
  • 1942Silverhill helps establish Greenwood Covenant Church in Summerdale, Alabama.
  • 1951A Florida Home Missions Committee forms to plant more churches.
  • 1953Audubon Park Covenant Church organizes in Orlando.
  • 1957–62New churches follow in Lake Worth, St. Petersburg, Royal Palm Beach, and Pompano Beach.
  • 1963Trailer Estates Covenant Church in Bradenton becomes the tenth church. On November 13 and 14, forty delegates from the ten churches of the Florida Council vote to form the Southeast Conference.
  • Today26 churches across five states, new congregations forming, and a vision for thriving Covenant churches in all six.

More about the SEC →

← About the SEC

About

Our team

The staff who serve our churches and leaders across the Southeast.

Rev. Dr. Catherine GilliardRev. Dr. Catherine GilliardSuperintendent
Rev. Mark TaoRev. Mark TaoDirector of Conference Expansion & Covenant Orientation
Kathy SoderholmKathy SoderholmFinance Manager

Reach the conference office at 404.768.2514 or office@southeastconf.org.

More about the SEC →

← About the SEC

About

Executive Board

Elected leaders from our churches who guide the conference's ministry and stewardship.

Rev. Dr. Rose CorneliousChair
Rev. Eric FilkinVice Chair
Pastor Darryl JohnsonTreasurer
Patrick GensealVice Treasurer
Angela BolingSecretary
Cheryl KosecVice Secretary
Jeannette BonselaarFinancial Secretary
Rev. Marc PutnamPresident, SEC Ministerium
Lee WaltonECC Executive Board
Shirley BragdonBoard Member

More about the SEC →

← All ministries

Ministries · For congregations

Missional Vitality

Every church has seasons. Missional Vitality is how we walk with your church through them: taking an honest look at where you are, listening for where God is leading, and planning your next season of ministry together.

The heart of the journey is the Missional Vitality Congregational Cohort: a year of guided workshops where your church's leaders work it out side by side with leaders from other congregations.

Register your church by September 8

See all ministries →

← All ministries

Ministries · For planters & supporters

Church Planting

We believe the local church is God's plan for reaching every community, so we start new ones. Our vision: thriving Covenant churches in each of our six states.

Fueled by the SEC 150 campaign, our strategy has four parts: plant new churches, partner with existing ones, parent new congregations, and adopt churches into our family. We are praying over cities in all six states, from small towns to major metros, and some of those conversations are underway right now.

Sense a call to plant, or want your church to help parent a new one? Write to us, or visit SEC Church Planting.

See all ministries →

← All ministries

Ministries · For those called to ministry

Theological Education

Classes and training for people preparing to serve as pastors and ministers, from first steps toward a call, to ordination, to lifelong learning.

We connect you with Covenant pathways including North Park Theological Seminary programs and conference-hosted courses.

Contact the office to talk about your next step.

See all ministries →

← All ministries

Ministries · For pastors & leaders

Spiritual Directors

Ministry is demanding, and leaders need someone who listens. Our trained spiritual directors help pastors and leaders slow down, pray, and pay attention to God.

The monthly A Sacred Space groups are the easiest way to begin: small groups that meet with a trained guide.

Join a group

See all ministries →

← All ministries

Ministries · For pastors & leaders

SEC Coaches

One-on-one coaching for pastors and ministry leaders, a trained coach in your corner as you navigate real decisions in real time.

Contact the office to be matched with a coach.

See all ministries →

← All ministries

Ministries · For credentialed ministers

Ministerial Association

Friendship, support, and accountability for ordained and licensed pastors across our six states, because nobody should carry a call alone.

The association gathers for fellowship and mutual care, and walks with those pursuing licensing, commissioning, or ordination in the Covenant.

President: Rev. Marc Putnam. Get connected, and sign up for the Ministerium e-newsletter.

See all ministries →

← All ministries

Ministries · For lay leaders

Local Church Leaders

Support for the volunteers who lead their churches week after week, board members, council chairs, treasurers, and team leads.

Training events like Equip SEC are built for you, and the conference office is a phone call away when questions come up.

Register for Equip SEC

See all ministries →