Faith Mennonite Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)
Faith Mennonite Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, began in 1960, though its roots began earlier. Already in the 1940s, the Evangelization Committee of the Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church recommended founding a church in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Finally, in 1960 the Conference's Home Missions Committee asked Frank H. Epp, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, to form a new congregation.
Regular services began on 30 October 1960 in homes, though an earlier meeting on 16 October at which J. J. Esau spoke provided the congregation's eventual "Faith" name. Faith Mennonite Church formally organized on 4 June 1961 with 24 members. It joined the Northern District Conference in 1961 and the General Conference Mennonite Church in 1963. In 1976, it also joined the Iowa-Nebraska Conference of the Mennonite Church (MC).
Beginning in 1961, the congregation met in the basement of the Nicollet YMCA. In August 1962, Faith Mennonite purchased the former Immanuel Danish Evangelical Lutheran church and parsonage located at 22nd and 28th Avenue in Minneapolis. On 14 January 1990, Faith purchased the larger Ebenezer Lutheran Church across the street from their former building.
In 1981 Faith Mennonite Church members opened the Jubilee Shop: International Handcrafts shop, one of the Ten Thousand Villages stores that supported the work of the Mennonite Central Committee. It became a model store in the chain. That same decade, the congregational members helped lead protests against Honeywell Corporation's production of numerous military weapons systems.
In 1984 the congregation helped in the formation of the St. Paul Mennonite Fellowship.
In the mid-1990s, Faith Mennonite Church went through a serious crisis over the appropriate response to homosexual persons. The conflict included its two pastors and eventually resulted in 40 members and children leaving in 1996 to form the Emmanuel Mennonite Church when Faith approved a resolution welcoming Christian gays and lesbians into membership and leadership. In February 2012, Faith Mennonite adopted a set of marriage guidelines that allowed its pastor to participate in same-sex commitment ceremonies.
As part of the realignment of the Mennonite Church (MC) and General Conference Mennonite Church into Mennonite Church USA, Faith Mennonite was among the congregations that joined the new Central Plains Mennonite Conference in 2000.
In 2023 the congregation remained part of the Central Plains Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
Bibliography
Kreider, Joan. "History Moments." Faith Mennonite Church. 2011. Web. 9 May 2023. https://faithmennonite.org/history-of-our-church/.
"New congregation meets in Minnesota Twin Cities." The Mennonite 75, no. 44 (8 November 1960): 727-728.
Schmidt, Diena, ed. The Northern District Conference of the General Conference Mennonite Church 1891-1991. Freeman, S.D.: The Conference, 1991: 64-66.
Additional Information
Address: 2720 East 22nd Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55406
Phone: 612-375-9483
Website: https://faithmennonite.org/
Denominational Affiliations: Central Plains Mennonite Conference
Pastoral Leaders at Faith Mennonite Church
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Frank H. Epp (1929-1986) | 1960-1961 |
| John A. Esau | 1961-1971 |
| Richard Westby (Interim) | 1969 |
| Donald D. Kaufman | 1971-1974 |
| Ellis Graber (Interim) | 1975-1976 |
| Myron Schrag | 1976-1992 |
| Helen Wells Quintela (Interim) | 1992 |
| Tim Lehman (Co-Pastor) | 1992-1995 |
| Paula Diller Lehman (Co-Pastor) | 1992-1995 |
| Kay Welsch (Intentional Interim) | 1995-1997 |
| Patty Jo Friesen (Co-Pastor) | 1997-2007 |
| Patrick Preheim (Co-Pastor) | 1997-2007 |
| Joetta Handrich Schlabach | 2007-2018 |
| Ry O. Siggelkow | 2016-2020 |
| Thom Bower (Transitional) | 2020- |
Membership at Faith Mennonite Church
| Year | Membership |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 24 |
| 1970 | 68 |
| 1980 | 64 |
| 1990 | 72 |
| 2000 | 126 |
| 2009 | 109 |
| 2020 | 129 |
| Author(s) | Samuel J Steiner |
|---|---|
| Date Published | May 2023 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Steiner, Samuel J. "Faith Mennonite Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. May 2023. Web. 27 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Faith_Mennonite_Church_(Minneapolis,_Minnesota,_USA)&oldid=175465.
APA style
Steiner, Samuel J. (May 2023). Faith Mennonite Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 27 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Faith_Mennonite_Church_(Minneapolis,_Minnesota,_USA)&oldid=175465.
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